Belonged in a private collection, until 1995, when it was gifted by Stanley Moss in honor of John Walsh.
Saint Sebastian was an early Christian saint and martyr who served in the army of the Roman emperor Diocletian. At a time when Christians were widely persecuted, Saint Sebastian secretly practiced Christianity and used his high ranking position to help imprisoned believers. In art, the portrayal of his botched execution is extremely popular and debates surrounding his death have emerged due to varying visual and hagiographic accounts. The nature of renaissance and baroque visual storytelling traditions compelled painters to strictly emphasise on dramatic painful scenes leading to the production of climactic images which exhibited such events. The scene that is historically recognised as Saint Sebastian's first martyrdom coming from the 5th century text, "Passio Sancti Sebastiani" is "The Bed of Arrows" which depicts him tied to a tree, appearing like a pin-cushion from being riddled with arrows. Many, naturally assume this being the manner in which Saint Sebastian died, however the archers merely assumed his death and left him behind. In all Christian hagiographical accounts, the legend does not end here, it is followed by the scene wherein Saint Irene of Rome, a pious devote widow whose husband had also been martyred, arrives at the site of the execution and retrieves his body for a proper burial, only to find that he has miraculously survived. Subsequently, she brings him back to her home, carefully extracts the arrows and tends to his wounds by applying ointments. The tale reaches its true end, when Sebastian once fully healed by Irene, refuses to flee Rome and instead stands on a public staircase attempting to intercept emperor Diocletian, vehemently denouncing him for his cruelty towards the followers of Christ. The shocked emperor orders his troops to take Sebastian to the Roman hippodrome, where he suffered his second martyrdom and was successfully beaten to death by clubs. The painting above, illustrates the scene of Saint Irene tending to Saint Sebastian's wounds. Painted in the late baroque phase by the Spanish painter Vicente Lopez, it exhibits the typical formal language of the era combined with the emerging neoclassical aesthetics that focus on an idealised form. Conceived very early in his artistic career, the artwork is particularly valuable for understanding the development of Vicente Lopez before he became one of the dominant portraitists of Spain.
I find the image of Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene very touching and full of pathos. This painting is remarkable because of the gentle and humane attitude of saints towards the victim. The figure of Saint Sebastian himself is so fragile and weak that he seems to be a martyr. The light falling on the figures from the left side is necessary to emphasize the contrast between the illuminated heroes and the dark background. I was deeply impressed by the facial expressions and gestures of people shown in the picture. Moreover, I admire the way how red and white color of the cloth is waving. In my opinion, the painting is a symbol of suffering, as well as the suffering of the Christian people. The main martyr Saint Sebastian is portrayed in the moment of his weakness, but thanks to Saint Irene, there is a sliver of light and hope in the middle of darkness. I believe that the author wanted to show that not only by fighting can one achieve the goal but also by being a kind and supportive person helps to move forward. Thus, the artwork evokes strong feelings of compassion, faith, and helps humanity to remember the sense of being a martyr.
