Saint Sebastian

N-Italian

‘Saint Sebastian’

Northern Italy, late 15th, early 16th century
Bronze

Provenance: The Cyril Humphris Collection, Sotheby’s, New York, The Cyril Humphris Collection Part II: European Sculpture and Works of Art, 11 January 1995, lot 206.

Height: 21,3 cm
Width: 6,7 cm
Depth: 7,6 cm

H 8 3/8 x W 2 5/8 x D 3 inch









This finely cast bronze statuette of Saint Sebastian, the early Christian martyr, in a moment of pained yet graceful endurance. Characteristic of North Italian Renaissance work from the late 15th to early 16th century, the figure displays a subtle blend of anatomical realism and expressive gesture typical of that period's devotion to both classical revival and devotional intensity.

The saint stands contrapposto, his weight resting on one leg, with the other bent slightly at the knee, evoking a sense of movement and vulnerability. He is bound to a slender tree trunk by ropes around his torso and thighs—an iconographic standard in representations of Saint Sebastian. His right arm is raised to his head in a gesture of anguish or divine rapture, while his left is clenched in tension. He wears a modest drapery tied at the hips, emphasising his exposed, sensitively modeled torso.

The bronze surface retains a rich, dark patina with lighter highlights across protruding surfaces, enhancing the sculptural depth. The sculpting, including the modeling of musculature, the fluidity of the pose, and the delicate handling of details such as the facial features and hair, situates this piece firmly within the North Italian Renaissance idiom, possibly linked to Venetian workshops. The figure is mounted on an elegant, flaring bronze base of canted triangular form.