St. Sebastian
Jusepe de Ribera · 1626–30 · Cleveland Museum of Art
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This subtly drawn study in red chalk with ink accents depicts the moment just before the Roman soldier Sebastian was shot through with arrows for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. The young martyr turns hopefully toward heaven as if comforted by divine light. Ribera favored the subject because it allowed him to study the expressive possibilities of the bound human figure. A number of related drawings by the artist from the same period treat similar themes of saints bound in punishment. Although Spanish by birth, Jusepe de Ribera spent most of his life in Naples, where he became the dominant artistic figure until his death in 1652. This is one of a group of drawings by Jusepe de Ribera that represent male saints in scenes of torture and deprived of physical liberty.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, 1591–1652)
- Date
- 1626–30
- Medium
- red chalk with pen and brown ink
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 17.3 x 12.4 cm (6 13/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
- Place of origin
- Spain
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Delia E. Holden Fund
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
