Study for "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" (for the Augustinian monastery at Diessen, Germany)

1739

Current Collection

Cleveland, United States

Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 51.7 × 31.7 cm
Status: In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID: C24-109908

In 1739 a pair of monumental altarpieces by two Venetian painters (Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Giambattista Pittoni) were installed in a church in southern Germany, part of a carefully orchestrated decorative program that included architecture, painting, sculpture, and decorative stuccowork. This sketch is Tiepolo’s initial design for his altarpiece, submitted for approval before beginning the final work. With quick, assured brushstrokes, he represents the Christian martyr Sebastian bound to a tree and shot with arrows, flooded with radiant light to symbolize his devotion to his faith.

Provenance

Holden Funds, 1946.277

Registry history

1739 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

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