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Saint Sebastian Released by the Roman Widow Irene and her Servant, ca. 1620 - 1625

  • oil paint, canvas
  • 130 x 100 cm
  • Inv. 2022-H

Public Domain

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The MSK was able to add this exceptionally rare painting to its collection in 2023 thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Museum. By the enigmatic Caravaggist artist Melchior de la Mars, it was discovered during the preparations for the museum’s monographic exhibition on Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637), which was held in spring 2023. Because the work had not survived the centuries unscathed, it recently underwent an extensive restoration treatment. This was also an opportunity to examine the painting from a material perspective. Melchior de la Mars was undoubtedly one of the most imaginative artists working in Ghent during the 17th century. Unfortunately, very little biographical information survives. The artist is known to have worked in the city between 1619 and 1621, when he painted the impressive Circumcision of Christ (1621, Augustinian Monastery, Ghent). He was working in Brussels during the period 1626-27. De la Mars’ corpus of paintings, all religious in nature, can be counted on one hand. His distinctive and idiosyncratic visual language, which combines a late-Mannerist technique with the style inspired by Caravaggio (1571-1610), is particularly noteworthy. The painting’s subject – Saint Sebastian being released by the Roman widow Irene and her servant –refers to the story of the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s (c. 243-316) bodyguard, Sebastian, who was sentenced to death for professing his Christian faith. He miraculously survived being shot by arrows. The scene depicting Irene was popular in the 17th century because it symbolised Christian charity and emphasised the role of women as carers, as prioritised during the Counter Reformation. At the same time, the tableau’s significance is also linked to the powers later ascribed to Sebastian. He became a saint to whom people prayed for protection against the plague. We see this, for example, in the suggestion of a convulsion and his discoloured limbs – two symptoms of the disease – and the unusual sky in the background. This might allude to the menacing natural phenomena that people associated with the plague in the 17th century. In the 1620s, the period when this painting must have been created, Europe – including Ghent – suffered multiple outbreaks of the deadly disease. Back then, this painting must have been a source of solace and hope.

Artist

Melchior de la Mars RKD
Zoutleeuw ca. 1585 - na 1627

Title Saint Sebastian Released by the Roman Widow Irene and her Servant
Date ca. 1620 - 1625
Period 17th century
Collection paintings AAT
Object type oil paintings (visual works) AAT
Inventory number 2022-H
Current whereabouts Work on display
Permalink https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/2022-H
IIIF Manifest https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/11814/manifest.json
Art & Architecture Thesaurus 300055874 religious symbolism AAT
300189808 figures (representations) AAT
Keywords Iconclass 11H saints Iconclass
11H(SEBASTIAN) the martyr Sebastian; possible attributes: arrow(s), bow, tree-trunk Iconclass
11H(SEBASTIAN)62 St. Sebastian, tied to a tree or a pillar, is pierced by arrows Iconclass
45C15(ARROW) archer's weapons: arrow Iconclass
45C15(BOW AND ARROW) archer's weapons: bow and arrow Iconclass
51E12 Liberation Iconclass
54E42 Protection; 'Custodia', 'Difesa contra nimici, malefici venefici', 'Difesa contra pericoli', 'Riparo da i tradimenti' (Ripa) Iconclass
31E23461 violent death by arrow(s) Iconclass
School / Style Caravaggism AAT
Mannerist (Renaissance-Baroque style) AAT
Materiaaltechnisch onderzoek van het schilderij De heilige Sebastiaan verzorgd door de Romeinse weduwe Irene en haar dienares (MSK Gent) van de Vlaamse Caravaggist Melchior de la Mars (c. 1585-1650) / Lowie Vercruysse. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.]
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