Saint Sebastian

Amico Aspertini

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a man leaning against a tall white column with his arms tied behind his back. He has light skin and shoulder-length brown hair, and his face is tilted upward with his eyes raised. He is pierced with arrows in several places on his body, including his arm, torso, knee, and foot. He is bare-chested and wears a draped, light purple cloth tied around his waist. The background is solid black, and the top of the column the man leans against is broken off. At the bottom of the column, there is a detailed white stone relief with figures in varying poses, along with some fragmented pieces of stone on the white stone ground.