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Copy after the painting Martyrdom of St Sebastian by Perugino in S. Sebastiano, Panicale.

Cesari Mariannecci

1856

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Copy after the painting Martyrdom of St Sebastian by Perugino in S. Sebastiano, Panicale. is a 1856 paint by Cesari Mariannecci, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Cesari Mariannecci
When & what style?: 1856 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a tall, arched scene with two main parts. At the top, a robed figure sits on a throne surrounded by angels and small cherubs. Below, a naked man stands in a niche, holding an arrow. Around him, four people—two men and two women—aim bows at him, dressed in colorful, flowing clothes with ribbons. The painting copies an older work by Perugino, but the colors here are softer and the figures less detailed. The light looks gentle, almost like a sketch. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how light and shadow create drama in paintings.

The story of this work

Overview

This watercolour by Cesari Mariannecci is a faithful copy of Perugino’s fresco *Martyrdom of St Sebastian* in S. Sebastiano, Panicale, executed in 1856 for the Arundel Society. The work was later published as a chromolithograph the same year by Vincent Brooks, marking the first colour reproduction produced by the society. Mariannecci’s version was transferred in 1995 from the National Gallery to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it was exhibited in 1996–97. The chromolithograph was accompanied by a monograph on the fresco authored by Sir Austen Henry Layard.

Read the full account in the museum source.