St. Sebastian

Abstract

This wooden statue of St. Sebastian in the Pinacoteca Provinciale Corrado Giaquinto dates to the second half of the fifteenth-century. The similarity of this St. Sebastian sculpture to the sculpture of San Vito in the Chiesa di Santa Lucia in Atella provides a possible attribution to the artist known as the Lucano Sculptor. The rounded face and long hair conveys the saint's youth, while his parted lips create an emotive expression. The sculpture's distinctive form, apparent in the muscular legs, lean torso, squared shoulders, and stylized protrusion of the ribs, are in keeping with sculptures produced by the Abruzzese school in the fifteenth century. In comparison to the naturalistic belly and face, the back takes a rigid form, designed to hide the supporting tree trunk. The hairstyle, which has been referred to as an Aragonese cap, reflects the influence of Iberian-Catalan culture in the Neapolitan countryside. Although it was restored in 2003, the sculpture is in poor condition. Details of the saint's curly hair and pupils are visible, carved into the wood. Traces of polychromy survive in the colours for the skin, the blood on the chest, the green on the tree stump, and the gold of the loincloth. The sculpture is missing the majority of the left hand, the front piece of the loincloth, and the arrows that penetrated the upper body and legs. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.