The Agony and the Ecstasy

Matteo Civitali

2008-11-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Matteo Civitali

San Sebastian

Washington, National Gallery of Art

Florentine Wall Shrine

2008-03-30T17:23:00.001-07:00

A friend kindly sent a photo of this wall shrine from Florence where he was on holiday.

Saint Sebastian for Sale

2007-06-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ebay: renowned as the place where it is possible to sell almost anything. So why not sell a Saint. Below some recent examples of St Sebastian for sale by internet auction...

2007-06-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

Modern holy medal of St Sebastian

failed to sell for $0.01

2007-06-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

19th Century religious medal of St Sebastian

SOLD for $24.99

2007-06-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

18th Century wooden carving of St Sebastian

SOLD for $350

2007-06-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

19th Century Oil of Saint Sebastian after Mattia Preti

SOLD for just over $2,000

Agnes of Sorrento

2007-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Stowe, Harriet Beecher.

Agnes of Sorrento.

Ticknor & Fields, Boston, 1862

Maria Rilker Rainer

2007-01-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

SAINT SEBASTIAN
stands like someone lying down,
propped up by his own huge will.
Off somewhere else, like mothers when they nurse,
and bound in himself like a wreath.

And the arrows arrive: now, and now,
as if they sprang out of his thighs,
iron and trembling at the ends.
And still he smiles darkly, he’s not hurt.

Just once a sadness suddenly looms large,
and his eyes grow naked with pain
until they deny something, not worth the trouble,
filling with scorn as they come to relinquish
those who would kill a beautiful thing.

----

Sankt Sebastian

Wie ein Liegender so steht er; ganz
hingehalten von dem großen Willen.
Weitentrückt wie Mütter, wenn sie stillen,
und in sich gebunden wie ein Kranz.

Und die Pfeile kommen: jetzt
und jetztund als sprängen sie aus seinen Lenden,
eisern bebend mit den freien Enden.
Doch er lächelt dunkel, unverletzt.

Einmal nur wird seine Trauer groß,
und die Augen liegen schmerzlich bloß,
bis sie etwas leugnen, wie Geringes,
und als ließen sie verächtlich los
die Vernichter eines schönen Dinges.

1905/06

Will McBride

2007-01-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

St Sebastian

Berlin 2004

oil on canvas, 80x100 cm

Will McBride website

Thanks to Nicolas for reminding me of this one.

Rodenbach Beer

2006-11-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Advertising Campaign

2005

Hendrick Terbrugghen (1588-1629)

2006-11-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

St Sebastian attended by Irene and her maid

1665

Allen Art Museum, Ohio

Pietro Perugino

2006-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

1495

Hermitage, St Petersburg

Lorenzo Costa

2006-10-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

1490-91

Tempera on wood, 55 x 49 cm

Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Antonio Redondo

2006-10-29T16:27:00.001-08:00

2006-10-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

2006-10-29T16:26:00.001-08:00

2006-10-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

2006-10-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

15th Century Italian Woodcut

2006-10-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

Bibliotheque National, Paris. c. 1490

2006-10-23T01:47:00.000-07:00

The Death of Saint Narcissus

2006-10-23T01:43:00.000-07:00

The Death of Saint Narcissus is a little known poem by T. S. Eliot which includes a range of references to Sebastian and other archetypes of young male sexuality. There is a good, brief discussion of the poem here

2006-10-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

" So he became a dancer to God.
Because his flesh was in love with the burning arrows
He danced on the hot sand
Until the arrows came.
As he embraced them his white skin surrendered itself to the redness of blood, and satisfied him.
Now he is green, dry and stained
With the shadow in his mouth."

excerpt from

The Death of Saint Narcissus

by T. S. Eliot

2006-10-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Greek Orthodox Sebastian

here

2006-10-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Marcantonio Bassetti (1588-1630)

2006-10-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

2006-10-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

REM - Losing My Religion

"The video is heavy with religious imagery, and notably features images of Saint Sebastian. Contrary to popular belief, the promotional music video was not banned in Ireland due to its use of religious imagery because the Republic does not ban music videos. "

from Wikipedia

2006-10-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

2006-10-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

St Sebastian Feast Qormi - Malta

2006-10-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

2006-10-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Jason Andrew McHenry

2006-10-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

When My Toughness Ran Out [St Sebastian]

In 2002 Jason Andrew McHenry undertook a project to make one assemblage box every week of the year and attached to it, a journal entry. The results of this project are on his website.

"I wanted to use a real piece of bark as the background for this one. And an image of St. Sebastian. I couldn’t really find any I liked and opted to use the Christmas card instead. I also planned on not having any glass in this one. Just a view inside with tons of nails. I think the smoked glass looks so much better. It is also hard to break away from the glass as a vital element to these boxes."

2006-10-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Regnier (1590-1667)

2006-10-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

2006-10-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yukio Mishima
"Yukio Mishima always had a rather unusual life. As a boy growing up in Japan, Mishima was different than others his age. He seemed to be not like a child, rather, he carried an expression of self-determination and stoicism. Once, as a child, the romantic Mishima flipped through a book of paintings, stopping to study one: "St. Sebastian", which depicted the saint with arrows hanging from his torso and his hands tied to a limb. Mishima was so excited over this picture that he had his first encounter with masturbation as he viewed it"

from

Sacred Visions of Splendour

see also
The Yukio Mishima Cyber-Museum

2006-10-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Margo Maschida - Self Portrait as Yukio Mishima - 1986
website

2006-10-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

"The white masters beauty of the youth body
hung against the dark tree trunk.
His hands tied by thorns.
I trembled with joy.
My loin swelled.
My hand unconsciously began a motion
it had never been taught."

from the film Mishima (1985)

2006-10-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

Giorgio Croce
Website

2006-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

De Lotto, Maurizio
Website

2006-10-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

2006-10-16T15:33:00.000-07:00