Seated or Recumbent Position

The Standing position and its variations are the most frequently encountered mode for the depiction of St. Sebastian. There are, however, other manners in which the saint is depicted--e.g. seated or recumbent.

The presentation of St. Sebastian in a seated or slumped position, but still tied to a column or stake or tree, becomes apparent after the last quarter of the XVI^th Century. The representation of St . Sebastian seated or slumped without being tethered to a column or stake or tree is a manner for his depiction in the XVII^th Century. This position assumes a relatively common mode of presentation, especially when St. Irene is present. The representation of St. Sebastian seated or slumped without attendant figures is less common than the preceding. One other mode of presentation is St. Sebastian with one knee bent and touching the ground. This is the least encountered of the seated or slumped position

1) The depiction of St. Sebastian slumped but still tied to a column or stake or tree is seen in Francesco Trevisani's St. Sebastian (c. 1700) (See: Figure 72); Antonio de Bellis' St. Sebastian of 1650 (See: Figure 73); Mattia Preti's (aka il Cavalier Calabrese) St Sebastian (1660) (See: Figure 26), as well as the St. Sebastians of: Hendrick Terbrugghen (1625) (See: Figure 74), and François Guillaume Ménageot (1750) (See: Figure 75).