The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

Bernardino Butinone painted this Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian around 1500 in Milan. Butinone worked alongside Bernardo Zenale as one of the leading Milanese painters before Leonardo's arrival. His precise, angular style drew on Mantegna's example and the metallic coloring of the Lombard tradition Altarpieces featuring rows of standing saints served both liturgical and devotional functions, identifying the church's patron saints and giving worshippers specific objects for personal prayer.

Tempera on panel with Butinone's characteristic sharp drawing and metallic coloring. The saint's martyrdom by arrows is depicted with the precise, hard-edged technique typical of pre-Leonardesque Lombard painting.