2-739-598 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Saint Sebastian, about 1776. This etching by Irish artist James Barry portrays Sebastian, the Roman solider who was shot with arrows for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. Following tradition, Barry depicted the martyr nude except for a loincloth and bound to a tree. Unconventionally, Barry did not depict the saint gazing heavenward as a sign of dedication to his faith, but instead masked Sebastian’s eyes in shadow, heightening the sense of physical suffering. Saint Sebastian’s idealized body, with a curved form that echoes the tree, reflects the influence of Michelangelo, whose works Barry admired during a sojourn in Rome from 1765 to 1771. This is the only known impression of this print.