ANTIQUE OLD MASTER STYLE MINIATURE PAINTING OF CHRISTIAN MARTYR SAINT SEBASTIAN WITH AN ARROW THROUGH HIS NECK.

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. Oval miniature painting possibly on ox bone depicting the head and shoulders of the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian with an arrow through his neck. Not sure of date but possibly 17th century. Painting measures 45 x 54 mm (roughly 4.5 x 5.5 cm or 1 3/4 x 2 1/8 inches). Image a little pale with some loss to surface. Miniature mounted on card in the past but is now lifting. Piece of image missing to left edge. Remains of paper to rear. Possibly once held within locket. Sebastian (Latin: Sebastianus; c. AD 255 - c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill him, which became a popular subject in 17th-century painting. In all versions of the story, shortly after his recovery he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. He is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. As protector of potential plague victims (a connection popularized by the Golden Legend) and soldiers, Sebastian occupied an important place in the popular medieval mind. He was among the most frequently depicted of all saints by Late Gothic and Renaissance artists, in the period after the Black Death. The opportunity to show a semi-nude young male, often in a contorted pose, also made Sebastian a favorite subject as the saint is ordinarily depicted as a handsome youth pierced by arrows. His shooting with arrows was the subject of the largest engraving by the Master of the Playing Cards in the 1430s, when there were few other current subjects with male nudes other than Christ. Among many others, A mainly 17th-century subject was Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene. This may have been a deliberate attempt by the Church to get away from the single nude subject, which is already recorded in Vasari as sometimes arousing inappropriate thoughts among churchgoers. The Baroque artists usually treated it as a nocturnal chiaroscuro scene, illuminated by a single candle, torch or lantern, in the style fashionable in the first half of the 17th century. Association to LGBT In 1996, American author Richard A. Kaye wrote that "Contemporary gay men have seen in Sebastian at once a stunning advertisement for homosexual desire (indeed, a homoerotic ideal), and a prototypical portrait of tortured closet case." Some religious images depicting Saint Sebastian have been adopted by the LGBT community. A combination of his strong, shirtless physique, the symbolism of the arrows penetrating his body, and the countenance of rapturous pain have intrigued artists (gay or otherwise) for centuries. Location of remains Remains reputed to be those of Sebastian are housed in Rome in the Basilica Apostolorum, built by Pope Damasus I in 367 on the site of the provisional tomb of Saints Peter and Paul. The church, today called San Sebastiano fuori le mura, was rebuilt in the 1610s under the patronage of Scipione Borghese. Sebastian's cranium was brought to the town of Ebersberg (Germany) in 934. A Benedictine abbey was founded there and became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in southern Germany. It is said the silver-encased cranium was used as a cup in which to present the consecrated wine of the Blessed Sacrament to the faithful during the feast of Saint Sebastian. Post free if you are not entirely pleased with your purchase. Please get in touch if you any questions. Welsh Bridge Books & Collectables is a bricks and mortar shop located alongside the River Severn at Shrewsbury, in a beautiful 16th Century building housing three floors of interesting and eclectic books and collectables for sale. If you're in Shropshire please pop by and say hello! Our location can be found in 'Business Seller Information' below. Thank you.