Artwork
Hl. Sebastian
Hl. Sebastian is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert. It dates from 1633 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1633, this religious canvas by Flemish artist Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert portrays the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed among other Baroque religious paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a nearly nude figure bound to a tree, his body pierced by a multitude of arrows and his head tilted back in a moment of suffering. A winged attendant, identified as an angel, stands behind him holding a bow, underscoring the saint’s role as a martyr who endured torture for his faith.
Technique & Style
Bosschaert employs a dramatic chiaroscuro, allowing bright highlights to illuminate the flesh and arrows while the surrounding space recedes into deep shadow. The stark contrast emphasizes the physicality of the saint’s torment and creates a sense of three‑dimensionality typical of early‑17th‑century Flemish Baroque painting.
History & Provenance
The painting has remained in public ownership since its early acquisition by the Bavarian royal collection, eventually entering the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings. Its attribution to Bosschaert, a prominent member of the Antwerp school, has been confirmed through stylistic analysis and archival records dating to the mid‑1600s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1613–1654) was an artist, born in Bergen op Zoom.
Allegorical depiction of Mars (Friedrich Wilhelm, elector of Brandenburg?) receiving the weapons of Venus (Louisa Henrietta, countess of Nassau?) and Vulcan
Jupiter and Antiope
Vision des hl. Antonius von Padua
Venus Arming a Warrior, possibly Johan Maurits at the Forge of Vulcan
Hl. Cajetan
The prophet Elijah awakened by the angel on Mount Horeb (I Kings 19:5-6)
Coronation of Mary
Study of a Boy's Head
Maria mit Kind und den hll. Sebastian und Katharina (zugeschrieben)
St Sebastian Being Tended by Two Angels
St Sebastian Being Tended by Two Angels
Austreibung aus dem Paradies (?)
Kommunion der hl. Magdalena
Kain und Abel (?)
Allegorie: Die versäumte Gelegenheit
Cephalus und Procris
Icarus and Daedalus
Nymphe and Satyr
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
Hl. Sebastian (Kopie nach)