Iconoraphy

St. Sebastian is seen to be iconographically related to Apollo, an iconic precedent. The Greek god Apollo was considered to be the ideal male form and as such he was represented nude and in the prime of life and physical development. Not only was he considered to possess the ideal physical form, Apollo was seen as the ideal male in body, mind and spirit--the classical trinity--Apollonian. He was depicted as a handsome ideal and with the well developed musculature of a young adult. Apollo was also said to have been a superior archer. He was said to be the first in that sport amongst the gods of Olympus, and from time to time the bow is seen to be part of his iconic paraphernalia. In addition, Apollo was a deity to whom supplications were raised in times of pestilence by both the Greeks and Romans. Furthermore, Apollo was nearly always depicted nude, setting aside the modesty coverings--i.e., the fig leaves--supplied by the Church. Nonetheless, St. Sebastian's relation to Apollo is obvious.

The Arrow

The premier iconographic device associated with St. Sebastian is the arrow. The martyr-saint may be carrying the arrow(s) in his hand, or they may be found invading his flesh in varying numbers. Although his ultimate death was caused by clubbing, that device is rarely seen in connection with the martyr-saint. In many instances when the martyr-saint is portrayed fully clothed--i.e., prince-like--he may also carries a bow along with arrow(s). When he is portrayed, semi-nude and bound to a tree, stake or column, the arrows are generally seen to pierce his body in varying numbers and in varying locations. This initial mode of martyrdom--i.e., pierced by arrows--is nearly the only way that St. Sebastian is portrayed in the XIV^th & XV^th Centuries.

Normally the number of arrows are generally three to nine and are shown piercing his body, including his head. However, there are those who paint the body of the martyr-saint literally filled with arrows until he resembles a hedgehog or a pin cushion--e.g., Giovanni del Biondo (act. 1356-1399) places some 34+ arrows in the saint (See: Figure 13); 24+ arrows are seen in Carlo Crivelli's Saint Sebastian (1490) (See: Figure 14), and Benozzo Gozzoli (1465) pierces the saint with 20+ arrows (See: Figure 15), among others.