Teile eines Altares: Martyrium des hl. Sebastian

Hans Fries painted this Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian as part of an altarpiece around 1501 in Fribourg, Switzerland. Sebastian's martyrdom by arrows was one of the most frequently depicted scenes in European art. Fries's Swiss-German style brings particular intensity to the suffering saint. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting. Such devotional panels served both liturgical contexts in churches and chapels and private devotional use in the homes of wealthy families who maintained personal altars and oratories.

Oil on panel with Fries's vivid Swiss-German coloring and expressive figure painting. The arrows piercing the saint's body are rendered with the graphic detail characteristic of Fries's dramatic approach.