Albrecht Dürer
Saint Sebastian Bound to the Column
c. 1499
Copper engraving
10.6 x 7.6 cm / 4.17 x 2.75 in
Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) was one of the most important Renaissance artists and particularly transformed printmaking into an independent art form. Born in Nuremburg, Dürer traveled throughout Europe and absorbed the innovations of Italian artists. The influence of classicism, such as the emphasis on the human form and theories of perspective, clarity, proportion and balance, greatly influenced his work and the work of Northern European artists.
This classical influence is clearly demonstrated in Saint Sebastian Tied to a Column. One of the few acceptable pretexts to show a man’s naked body at the time, the subject of Saint Sebastian was popular in the Italian early Renaissance, but the entire story of the saint being shot by archers was generally depicted. Here, Dürer focuses on the saint’s body itself, standing in contrapposto against the vertical column and echoing the sinuous curve of the arch. In isolating the body and its suffering as the artistic subject, Dürer inflected the Biblical narrative with a classical and more psychologically charged dimension. In the 19th century, the subject of Saint Sebastian became symbolic of homoerotic desire and its abject position within traditional society, with Oscar Wilde taking Sebastian’s name after his release from prison.
Bartsch 56, Meder 61 I (of II b). Excellent, bright and clear early impression of the first state, on fine laid paper, without watermark. The second layer of strokes on temple and cheek does not yet reach the end of the curl. With the three parallels in the upper end of the right arrow, such as recognizable in early impressions.
Provenance
Private collection, South Germany
Lot 36, Dorotheum, Vienna, March 28, 2024
See also
Saint Sebastian Bound to the Column in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Albrecht Dürer in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Saint Sebastian Bound to the Column in the collection of the National Gallery of Art
Albrecht Dürer in the collection of the National Gallery of Art