Other Variations

An interesting variation in the mode of presentation is St. Sebastian as a blonde or light haired person as opposed to a distinct dark haired or brunette. In Italy where the vast majority of people are dark haired, this is noteworthy. One may encounter an occasional blonde person in the region of Turin or Milan, but generally dark hair is the overwhelming norm throughout Italy, particularly south of Bologna. The depiction of the martyr-saint as a blond by Italian painters may be seen as related to the International Gothic Style, particularly as practiced in northern Europe, when blonde tonality was seen as the ideal and perceived as a genetic indication of high birth. Blonde hair was, therefore, believed to be symbolic of high status. Even in a number of cases, a blonde Christ is encountered, but interestingly enough a blonde Mary, the Mother of the Christ, is virtually unseen. By mid XVI^th Century, a dark haired martyr-saint began to appear. However, until the Baroque period the presentation of a blonde or not a dark haired St. Sebastian predominated.

Agony or Ecstasy

With St. Sebastian, there is a question of agony or ecstasy. Certainly, the piercing of one's body with arrows would cause acute distress and physical pain. Physiologists and physicians tell us that the human body has the remarkable ability to block out pain but this is accomplished by those who have gone through considerable training. Or, the human body possesses a mechanism by which searing pain is blocked after a time. Surely, Sebastian would have suffered considerable physical pain in the initial stages of his body being pierced by the arrows. There appears to be certain physical indications of both agony and/or ecstasy--i.e., iconographic indicators.

Agony may be indicated by the mouth being drawn downward at the corners--i.e., the rigor of pain--and often with the eyes open wide or tightly shut and the face screwed up. Likewise, the body may appear to be contorted by the inflicted pain. Only a few artists indicate the saint-martyr in a state of apparent physical agony--e.g., Marco Zoppo (c. 1453) (See: Figure 4). The agony of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian is clearly seen in all three of Andrea Mantegna's renditions of 1459, 1480 & 1490 (See: Figures 5, 6 & 7). In all three the eyes are rolled skyward, the mouth is drawn as if in the throes of searing pain as arrows riddle the martyr-saint's body. In the 1498 St. Sebastian, an arrow enters just below the right jaw and exits through the middle of the forehead; a most unusual and improbable penetration. Agony or the depiction of agony on the face of a saint may be seen as un-saintly, a form of not accepting ones lot and reacting to it. After all, St. Sebastian's martyrdom was a result of his religious beliefs. The agony is there, but there is also a sense of acceptance indicated.

Ecstasy, whether physical, sexual or spiritual, may also possess certain physical indicators. Frequently, these symptoms, these outward clues or manifestations may be similar, or even identical physically. Generally they include the mouth slightly open or gaping, the eyes turned upward in their sockets and the body twisted by the delicious torture. Sometimes, extreme ecstasy or physical/sexual pleasure may be accompanied by a short loss of conscious, physical control--i.e., that which the French refer to as la petite mort or the little death. St. Theresa of Avila's confession "so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain," even though she was describing a spiritual ecstasy, is absolutely parallel to physical/sexual pleasure and release.

In a number of cases, artists have portrayed St. Sebastian's eyes focused on a person within the composition. At times, the focus has been St. Roch--e.g., Bernardino Luini (c. 1520) (See: Figure 210)--other times, the Madonna--e.g., Correggio (1523) (See: Figure 211) or Luca Longhi (a. 1525) (See: Figure 212)--and only occasionally on the Christ Child--e.g., Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1521) (See: Figure 213). This last painting is of further interest in the depiction of St. Sebastian with long, curly, blonde locks. There are rare instances in which St. Sebastian is gazing directly out of the picture plane at the viewer--e.g., Giovanni Buonconsiglio (1500) (See: Figure 32).