Leseprobe

21 Antonello da Messina Messina c. 1430–1479 Messina Saint Sebastian c. 1478 Inscription bottom left on cartellino: [Antone]ll[us] [m]essaneus Oil on panel, transferred to canvas; 171×85.5 cm Purchased from the Endris Collection, Vienna, in 1873 Gal. no. 52 Antonello shows the martyr of Saint Sebastian, captain in the Praetorian Guard of the Roman emperor Diocletian (3rd century). Accused of helping persecuted Christians, Sebastian was sentenced to death. Although pierced by arrows, he mirac- ulously survived. Rather than showing Sebastian’s suffering, Antonello has instead focussed on his near-transfigured appearance. The upright pose of his beautiful body culminates in a heavenward gaze. Here the artist alludes to his salvation through divine grace: his martyrdom, often referred to as a second baptism, a baptism in blood, will be rewarded with a place in heaven. The altarpiece was painted for the Scuola di San Rocco, a religious confra- ternity in Venice, founded in 1478, when the plague claimed the lives of fifteen percent of the city’s population. The centre of the altarpiece was formed by a sculp- ture of Saint Roch, flanked by two panels of Saint Christopher and Saint Sebastian. All three saints were invoked for protection from the Black Death. The painting is a remarkable testament to the art of the early Renaissance and shows off the artistic innovations of the age. The monumentalization of the figure is balanced by the delicate modelling of the saint’s flesh, conveyed even under such dazzling light. Antonello has kept the viewing angle extremely low to display his skill in the dramatic recession of the building’s facades. This panel is regarded as one of the artist’s most important works.  |  ah