Botticelli, Sandro (c.1445-1510)
San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian)
1474
Tempera on poplar panel, 195 x 75 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
The Roman officer Sebastian was supposed to renounce his Christian faith in order to serve as the bodyguard of the Emperor Diocletian. When he refused, he was tied to a tree trunk and executed by the imperial archers visible in the background of the picture. Their arrows pierced his body, but he survived the execution. It was painted for the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence, where the picture hung on the first pillar on the right. (Gemäldegalerie)