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Source Description
Inexpensive, painted wooden statuettes of the Virgin or popular saints were made in large numbers to stimulate private devotion.Sebastian was a Christian martyr of the 3rd century. According to legend, he was a Roman officer who refused to deny his Christian faith. In consequence, he was tied to a tree and shot full of arrows. When these wounds were not fatal, he was clubbed to death. Christians prayed to him for protection from wounds and illness, especially the plague. The crudeness of the carving would not affect the role of the statuette as an aide to devotion.The stiffness and emaciation of the figure suggest that the carver was either German or influenced by German models.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
7251
label
Devotional Statuette of Saint Sebastian
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
7251
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Devotional Statuette of Saint Sebastian
description
Inexpensive, painted wooden statuettes of the Virgin or popular saints were made in large numbers to stimulate private devotion.Sebastian was a Christian martyr of the 3rd century. According to legend, he was a Roman officer who refused to deny his Christian faith. In consequence, he was tied to a tree and shot full of arrows. When these wounds were not fatal, he was clubbed to death. Christians prayed to him for protection from wounds and illness, especially the plague. The crudeness of the carving would not affect the role of the statuette as an aide to devotion.The stiffness and emaciation of the figure suggest that the carver was either German or influenced by German models.
provenance
Joachim Ferroni, Rome; Ferroni Sale, Galleria Sangiorgi, Rome, 1909, no. 46; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1909, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1500 (Early Modern)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Wood
figurines
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
38.5
height
12
depth
6.8
dimensionsRaw
15 3/16 x 4 3/4 x 2 11/16 in. (38.5 x 12 x 6.8 cm)
Source extras
cul
Medieval European
med
painted wood (oak)
creator_ids
6505
6211
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
395b009e15752dc5
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
6ee9275beaa8f373
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no