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Study for "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" (for the Augustinian monastery at Diessen, Germany)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In 1739 a pair of monumental altarpieces by two Venetian painters (Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Giambattista Pittoni) were installed in a church in southern Germany, part of a carefully orchestrated decorative program that included architecture, painting, sculpture, and decorative stuccowork. This sketch is Tiepolo’s initial design for his altarpiece, submitted for approval before beginning the final work. With quick, assured brushstrokes, he represents the Christian martyr Sebastian bound to a tree and shot with arrows, flooded with radiant light to symbolize his devotion to his faith.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineStudy for "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" (for the Augustinian monastery at Diessen, Germany), 1739. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696–1770). Oil on canvas; framed: 67.5 x 45.5 x 6 cm (26 9/16 x 17 15/16 x 2 3/8 in.); unframed: 51.7 x 31.7 cm (20 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds, 1946.277
