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Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian

Saint Sebastian

Unidentified artist
about 1470
Object PlaceGermany
Medium/TechniquePolychrome wood
Dimensions99.69 x 41.9 x 29.8 cm (39 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.)
Credit LineBequest of Dr. Siegfried J. Thannhauser in memory of his wife Franziska Peiner Thannhauser
Accession number63.589
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Description
Saint Sebastian was an early Christian martyr tortured at the order of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Because Sebastian was shot with arrows but survived, he was later invoked as a protector against plague. In this sculpture, which once decorated an altar, Sebastian is represented in an almost dance-like pose. His placid expression as he confronts pain and suffering would have offered comfort and hope. The arrows that once pierced his flesh are now missing.
ProvenanceBefore 1934, acquired in Molsheim by Dr. Siegfried Josef Thannhauser (b. 1885 - d. 1962), Freiburg, Düsseldorf, and Brookline, MA [see note 1]; 1963, bequest of Siegfried J. Thannhauser to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 8, 1963)

NOTES:
[1] According to Edward R. Lubin's appraisal of Dr. Thannhauser's collection (February 14, 1962), this sculpture was purchased from a dealer in Molsheim, Alsace. Dr. Thannhauser lent the sculpture to the exhibition "Mittelalterliche Plastik" (Kunsthalle, Basel, February - April, 1934), cat. no. 55. He immigrated to the Boston area in 1935, bringing his art collection with him.