Restored in 2000 with funding from The James R. Dougherty, Jr. Foundation, through Beatrice Rossi-Landi, Trustee.

Commissioned by Pietro Contarini around 1510, this marble relief sculpture depicting Saint Sebastian was originally kept in Contarini’s private residence and was moved to the church of Santi Apostoli only after his death. The relief portrays a young and emotional Saint Sebastian, whose penitent gaze, open mouth, and wrinkled brow emphasize the pain and sorrow of his martyrdom. Although the arrows that pierce his body are not visible, the tree trunk to which he is bound does appear, and a single branch with three delicate leaves sprouts from it. Sebastian’s deeply carved eyes and detailed strands of thick hair are characteristics directly inspired by the sculpture of Antonio and Tullio Lombardo — which in turn may have been inspired by the representations of the saint by Andrea Mantegna, whose paintings were characterized by a particularly sculptural quality.

The Saint Sebastian relief was one of the many sculptures restored for the I Tesori della Fede (Treasures of the Faith) exhibition organized by the Catholic Diocese of Venice in 2000 as a part of the Jubilee Celebration.

The work was restored by conservator Toto Bergamo and the Sansovino restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Adriana Augusti of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Follower of Antonio and Tullio Lombardo
Saint Sebastian
c. 1510, marble
51 x 40 cm

Mason Rinaldi, Stefania and Renato Polacco, eds. I tesori della fede. Oreficeria e scultura dalle chiese di Venezia. Venice: Marsilio, 2000.