During the XVII^th and XVIII^th Centuries many representation of St. Sebastian took on truly unusual bizarre poses and/or stances. No longer was the martyr-saint shown bound to a tree or pillar, standing in quiet samabhangasana or gentle contraposto. He is seen to begin to twist violently, writhe uncontrollably, arch his back, step out and assuming all manner of unusual positions. In a number of instances, the artists depicted St. Sebastian unfettered and he appeared to be dancing--i.e., as if in a dance of death (totentanz) or a sacred dance connected with his martyrdom.

St. Sebastian is seen to begin to twist violently as if physically reacting to the penetration or anticipated penetration of the arrows--e.g., Marco d'Oggiono (a. 1520) (See: Figure 102) who shows the Martyr-saint's body torqued and right foot raised as if stamping; Antonio Campi (b. 1580) (See: Figure 103); Hans van Aachen (1588) (See: Figure 104) depicts St. Sebastian's body arched to the right, left hand defensively raised over his head and right knee flexed; Paolo Caliari (called Veronese) (c. 1565) (See: Figure 105) shows St. Sebastian's body arched to the left, head twisted to the right and right hand raised; and Daniele Crespi (1620) (See: Figure 106) portrays the martyr-saint leaning against a tree, body and legs in an severe "S" with the left hand raised and the left foot behind the right calf. There are a number of compositions which depict St. Sebastian as writhing uncontrollably. These compositions give the impression that the arrows have just penetrated the body of the martyr-saint and he is reacting to the initial, searing pain of the wounds--e.g., Study from the School of Giulio Romano (c. 1520) (See: Figure 107); the Annibale Carracci study (1606) (See: Figure 108) presents the body and legs bowed in one direction while the agonized face is tilted in the opposite direction; Aegidius Sadeler's engraving (c. 1620) (See: Figure 109) places the body of the martyr-saint in an "S" position with his head thrown back as if in agony; Anthony van Dyck's study (c. 1630) (See: Figure 110) shows St. Sebastian slumped against a tree and his head lolling to the right in pain; and Juan Frias y Escalante (b. 1670) (See: Figure 71) depicts the pain of piercings in a strong arched body and head.