Tanzio da Varallo's "Saint Sebastian"

According to the "Passio Sancti Sebastian", or "Aelfric's Lives of Saints", a text written in the 11th century, a "certain widow, who was a martyr's relict, in the same night, where he lay sorely wounded, desiring to bury his body, and found him living" came to the scene, brought Saint Sebastian to her home, and nursed him back to health. This widow was Saint Irene, and her late husband was Castulus, a Christian martyr, as referenced in the text. The addition of a female figure tending to Saint Sebastian's wounds would certainly allude to Saint Irene, making it easy for audiences to identify the scene and the story behind it, thus why Tanzio da Varallo chose to adhere closely to the source.

Saint Irene

There are no source texts that reference an angel tending to S. Sebastian's wounds alongside S. Irene, suggesting that this added element was Tanzio da Varallo's way of emphasizing the Christian origins of both S. Sebastian and S. Irene. Doing so would have elevated the work's status as a religious piece, especially during the Baroque period where religious works made the most money and were most often commissioned by wealthy patrons.

Angel

In "The Golden Legend, Volume Two", published in the 13th century and one of the first accounts of the life of Saint Sebastian, it is said that "And the archers shot at him till he was as full of arrows as an urchin is full of pricks, and thus left him there for dead." Here, it is evident that Tanzio da Varallo was closely following the source text when depicting his subject. The arrows in Saint Sebastian's body clearly reflect his symbolism and would have made it easy for audiences to identify the figure.

Arrows

According to "The Golden Legend, Volume 2", Saint Sebastian was "so well beloved of Diocletian and Maximian, emporers of Rome, that they made him master and duke of their meiny and power, and always would have him in their presence." Here, the source text alludes to S. Sebastian being given military power within the Roman army through his closeness with Emporer Diocletian. As such, S. Sebastian would have been given a shield, which Tanzio da Varallo depicts here, next to his feet. Doing so would have shown audiences familiar with S. Sebastian's life before his martyrdom that this was indeed him.

S. Sebastian's shield

Though not as explicitly depicted as other aspects of this painting, S. Sebastian's devotion to Christ is suggusted through the expression on his face. According to the "Passio Sancti Sebastiani", S. Sebastian was "a holy servant of God...and was baptized into Christ with full faith...Daily he fulfilled his Lord's service zealously..." Here, it is clear that Tanzio da Varallo was meaning to express S. Sebastian's fervent belief in Christ through his pained face gazing up to heaven, accepting his fate and willing to die for his faith. This choice would have conveyed this idea to audiences who knew of S. Sebastian's unwavering devotion to God, making his subject and story clear.

Saint Sebastian's expression

Tanzio da Varallo adhered closely to texts such as the "Passio Sancti Sebestiani" and "The Golden Legend, Volume 2" in this work. He drew inspiration from both historical facts about S. Sebastian's life, such as being a member of the Roman army, as well as taking creative freedom with mythological representations, like the angel coming to aid in nursing his wounds. Tanzio da Varallo likely approached this piece this way in order to make it as widely available as possible for a variety of audiences. The straightforward, iconographic symbolism of S. Irene, the arrows, and the shield allowed for interpretation by more educated, secular audiences, while the inclusion of an angel was able to be interpreted by broader, less educated, and less religious viewers. Additionally, those who would have understood each of the symbolic elements were likely to have been wealthy patrons, suggesting that, as an artist, Tanzio da Varallo wanted to make as much money as possible with his work.

Summary