About 1600-1620 Painted and gilded wood
Germany
1980.41
An early Christian saint and martyr, Sebastian was condemned to death by the Roman emperor Diocletian. Bound to a tree and shot with arrows, he survived-only later to be martyred by beating. This figure embodies the blend of stylistic influences that characterized German sculpture in the early 1600s. The graceful pose and anatomical naturalism of the legs indicate the influence of Italian Mannerism, while the crisp, stylized patterns of Sebastian’s hair and loincloth recall German Gothic works from the 1400s. The tree to which Sebastian is bound is an actual branch, shaped and refined to its present appearance.
Adapted from description at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Shot with a Nikon D5600 in the gallery at CMA. Constructed in RealityCapture, retopologized in InstantMeshes and MeshLab, and finished in Blender.
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