The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

Jacob Jordaens

1620

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque Religious

About this work

The painting depicts a scene of Saint Sebastian's martyrdom. He is shown tied to a tree, with multiple arrows piercing his body. The surrounding figures appear to be in a state of distress or mourning. A closer look reveals the artist's use of pen and brown ink with brown wash on laid paper, creating a sense of depth and texture. The overall mood of the painting is one of somberness and tragedy. If you're interested in exploring more works from the same era, you might want to look into the Baroque movement.