Saint Sebastian (Mantegna)

As a reply, he therefore applied Alberti's principles of Classicism in the following pictures, including this small Saint Sebastian, though deformed by the nostalgic perspective of his own.

Characteristic of Mantegna is the clarity of the surface, the precision of an "archaeological" reproduction of the architectonical details, and the elegance of the martyr's posture.

In the late 17th to early 18th centuries it was recorded in the Sainte Chapelle of Aigueperse, in the Auvergne region of France: its presence there is related to the marriage of Chiara Gonzaga, daughter of Federico I of Mantua, with Gilbert de Bourbon, Dauphin d'Auvergne (1486).

The saint, again tied to a classical arch, is observed from an unusual, low perspective, used by the artist to enhance the impression of solidity and dominance of his figure.

At his feet two iniquitous people (represented by a pair of archers) are shown: these are intended to create a contrast between the man of transcendent faith and those who are only attracted by profane pleasures.

Apart from the symbolism, the picture is characterized by Mantegna's accuracy in the depictions of ancient ruins, as well as the detail in realistic particulars such as the fig tree next to the column and the description of Sebastian's body.

On his death in 1832, the painting was inherited by his brother and then his nephew in Motta di Livenza (Treviso), where it remained until 1893, when it was acquired by Baron Giorgio Franchetti for the Ca' d'Oro, which he left to the city of Venice with its contents in 1916.