Anthony van Dyck (Flemish 1599-1641)
Saint Sebastian, c. 1623
Oil on canvas, 74-1/2 x 56-3/4
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Though Van Dyck achieved his greatest fame as a portraitist, he also worked as a painter of sacred subjects, especially in his early years. One of his favorite religious themes was that of St. Sebastian, and between 1616 and 1623 he interpreted the story of that early Christian martyr in no fewer than six paintings, among them the Chrysler's canvas.

A captain in the Roman army, Sebastian converted to Christianity and, refusing to abandon his newfound faith, was shot by his own company of archers on the order of the pagan emperor Diocletian. Artists traditionally portrayed the story's grisly denouement, showing the wounded Sebastian bound to a tree or column, his body already pierced by arrows. (Consider Nicolas Régnier's painting of Saint Sebastian on view in the adjacent gallery, at right.) Van Dyck, however, chose an earlier and less conventional moment, when Sebastian's men, having removed his armor, prepare him for execution. In the Chrysler's painting two burly soldiers hold the saint and bind his legs while a helmeted archer at right draws his arrows. Sebastian's composure and pale beauty isolate him from his tormenters. In the face of death, he confronts the viewer quietly, steadfast in his faith. It is sometimes said that Van Dyck lent his own features to the face of the suffering Sebastian.


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