More often St. Sebastian is shown with his eyes rolled heavenward or upward in their sockets. In a few instances they appear to be rolled back in his sockets to the point that only the merest hint of the iris is indicated. This would seem to indicate a state of ecstasy, overwhelming joy, monumental happiness, a frenzy of mystic self-transcendence, a state bordering on the loss of consciousness. This noetic, mystical experience may be seen to be related to la petite mort of sexual orgasm.

The mouth of the martyr-saint often gives a hint to the physical-spiritual state. Many times St. Sebastian is portrayed with his mouth closed, but not pursed. This would seem to indicate a state of complete relaxation or certainly disassociation from his physical state in which he finds himself. A few artists have painted him with a gentle half/smile, as if peacefully, even obligingly accepting his fate. Only a few artists have presented St. Sebastian with his mouth drawn down in the rigors of agony. When these are encountered, the physical, human nature of the martyr-saint would seem to be underlined. From mid-XVI^th Century onward through the Baroque, St. Sebastian is more often than not shown with his mouth slightly open. This mode of presentation when coupled with the upturned eyes is seen to underline the state of spiritual ecstasy that the saint-martyr experienced. It is also seen to be a physiological reaction experienced in extreme sexual excitation. This is opined by some as a masochistic reaction from the piercing of his flesh by the arrows.

There are precious few representations of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian--i.e., the piercing of arrows--in which the body of the martyr-saint is standing straight. The presentation of the axis and cross axes of the body in perpendicular alignment--i.e., samabhangasana--is rare. Frequently from the mid-XV^th Century onward the body is shown in contraposto. The agony of martyrdom, or the ecstasy, particularly when the martyr-saint is tied to a tree from mid-XVI^th through XVII^th Century is often shown by a wildly contorted, writhing body. This would seem to indicate the excruciating pain attendant to this form of punishment. It may also be viewed as a representation of excruciating pleasure!

Whether agony or ecstasy, the eyes and the mouth may be the telling feature. The eyes may be: 1) focused on person, 2) closed, or 3) rolled upward. Similarly the mouth may be: 1) closed and relaxed, 2) closed smiling, 3) open as in ecstasy, or 4) drawn as in agony. The body may also be indicative of agony or ecstasy and seen: 1) relaxed and standing straight (samabhangasana), 2) contraposto, 3) writhing, 4) striding 5) seated, or 6) supine.

Guido Reni (1575-1642), a Linchpin

The single artist who seemed to set off a plethora hymns, psalms and panegyrics regarding St. Sebastian in the XVII^th Century was Guido Reni (1575-1642), the "Divine Guido." Born in Calvenzano, near Bologna he studied with the Carracci before opening his own studio where he rose to the pinnacle in both Rome and Bologna circles artistically as well as socially. He never married and was not known to have a mistress. This in a time when gossip was the coin of the realm. Further, there had been no stories abroad about any same sex liaisons. He was, nonetheless, devoted to his mother. It is possible that Guido may have been a misogynist as he banned all women from his home and employ after his mother's death. He would not allow any women's laundry to come into contact with his. There is no indication that his sexual preference, if any, was of' a same-sex orientation. In a time when gossip was de rigueur, Guido Reni's private life seemed unusually and profoundly private! If he was celibate, it would be unusual, indeed, but not an impossibility. It was not that he was devoid of any vice! He was an inveterate gambler, lost several fortunes during his life and lived in a most luxurious manner. And like most of his age, he was quite supersticious.

Guido Reni lived in a period of time in Europe and especially Itay that has been characterized as a period of incipient decadence. It was during this period that one of the generational outbreaks of the plague occurred. Continental culture was in a state of flux--i.e., the Reformation is established, Copurnicus places the sun at the center of the universe rather than the earth, Magellan circles the globe, the plague again hits England, the controversial Pope Alexander Borgia VI dies, Suleiman the Magnificent invades the Balkans, Queen Anne Bolyn is beheaded, Spain and Germany defeat France at the Battle of Pavia, Rome is sacked by the Holy Roman Emperor, the Church of England breaks with Rome, the Bible is translated into English, etc. It was a time in which the rate of change was unprecedented. Power between the Church and government was reevaluated. And the religious change flooding Europe brought with it social changes of such depth that the old regime was never to be seen again. So widespread was this cultural change that the Italian artist Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, known first as " Il Mattaccio" (the maniac) was given the soubriquet "Il Sodoma" (the sodomite) which he readily accepted. In that acceptance Giovanni Antonio Bazzi may have seen himself in high ranking company along with Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Aretino, Michaelangelo, Pope Julius II, Pope Leo X, Henri III, King of France, and Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany.

Of the multitude of paintings Guido executed between 1615 and 1640, at least eleven which are attributed to him were of St. Sebastian--i.e., St. Sebastian (c. 1615) at the Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome (See: Figure 217); St. Sebastian (1615-1616) at the Galleria di Palazzo Rosso, Genoa (See: Figure 19); St. Sebastian (1617) at the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum (See: Figure 218); St. Sebastian martire con paesaggio (a. 1619) at the Musée du Louvre, Paris (See: Figure 219); St. Sebastian (b. 1620) at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (See: Figure 220); St. Sebastian (c. 1625) at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland (See: Figure 221); St. Sebastian (1617-1619) at the Museo del Prado, Madrid (See: Figure 222); St. Sebastian (1617-1619) at the Museum de Art de Ponce (See: Figure 223); St. Sebastian Bound (c. 1635) at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio (See: Figure 224); St. Sebastian (attributed) (c. 1635) from the Christie catalogue (See: Figure 225); and St. Sebastian (1639-40) at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna (See: Figure 226). Guido's portrayal of St. Sebastian can only be characterized as that of a young man with a beautiful, child-like face; doe-eyes turned searchingly upward; with tulip lips; smooth, flawless skin; apparently passive in nature; and in a state that verges on ecstasy. Oscar Wilde stated that “the vision of Guido’s Saint Sebastian came before my eyes as I saw him at Genoa, a lovely brown boy, with crisp, clustering hair and red lips, raising his eyes with divine, impassioned gaze towards the Eternal Beauty of the opening Heavens.”

There are three nearly identical half-length paintings of St. Sebastian with his wrists tightly bound above his head--i.e., (c. 1617) Pinacoteca Capitolina (Rome, Italy) (See: Figure 217); St Sebastian: (1615-1616), Galleria di Palazzo Rosso (Genoa, Italy) (See: Figure 19); and (c. 1617) Cheltenham Gallery and Museum (See: Figure 217). The Genoa version is sometimes considered to have predated the Capitolina version. The three are virtually identical in composition except the Capitolina St Sebastian exhibits rather looser folds in the tied fabric covering his groin and also this version as well as the Cheltenham painting indicates three arrows piercing the martyr-saint rather than two as seen in the Genoa example--i.e., the arrow in the lower left belly is missing from the Genoa version. In addition the background of the Genoa St. Sebastian differs, though not dramatically, from the other two. The Capitolino and Cheltenham paintings of the saint are virtually identical

The three-quarter compositions with St. Sebastian's hands bound behind him and his left knee raised possesses five variations. They are: St. Sebastian martire con paesaggio (a. 1617) at the Musée du Louvre, Paris (See: Figure 219); St. Sebastian (b. 1620) at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (See: Figure 220); St. Sebastian (c. 1625) at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, Auckland (See: Figure 221); St. Sebastian (1617-1619) at the Museo del Prado, Madrid (See: Figure 222); an the a. 1617 version at the Museo de Arte de Ponce (See: Figure 223). The Prado version displays a looser, easier appearance to the folded, swathing material than the other four. In each the backgrounds differ, but not substantially. The halo in the Louvre St. Sebastian is more prominent than the other three and the Prado's version shows the martyr-saint's lips slightly parted.

The St. Sebastian (1639-40) at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna (See: Figure 226), presents the martyr-saint, full length. His hands are bound behind his back and attached to a tree. He stands upon a rocky outcropping, the left foot on a higher elevation than the right. St. Sebastian's trunk leans forward as his head twists to the left and his eyes are focused upward and to the right.