Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

Luca Signorelli's Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, painted in 1498 and now in the Città di Castello Communal Art Gallery, depicts the Roman soldier-saint pierced by arrows. The subject was a particular favorite of Renaissance painters because it provided a legitimate context for depicting the male nude. Signorelli's treatment of the muscular, arrow-pierced body demonstrates the anatomical mastery that Vasari specifically praised and that Michelangelo studied closely.

Signorelli renders Sebastian's muscular anatomy with his trademark precision and power, using the arrow-pierced body as a vehicle for displaying his command of the male figure in a dramatic, classically influenced composition.