Italy / late 1480s
Portrait of a Youth as Saint Sebastian
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Portrait of a Youth as Saint Sebastian as painting (Italy · late 1480s).
While Marco d'Oggiono made numerous copies of the masterpieces of his teacher Leonardo da Vinci, this is an original composition.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on wood, transferred to pressed wood and credits Marco d'Oggiono (Italian, 1460-1524).
The museum's collection notes: Sebastian, a bodyguard for the ancient Roman emperor Diocletian, was shot with arrows and was eventually drowned for his commitment to Christianity. While the arrow alludes to Saint Sebastian, the young man’s clothing dates to the late 1400s, indicating that this is a contemporary portrait, rather than an image of the historical saint. This haunting image was influenced by the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), particularly in the artist’s use of smoky shadows (called sfumato) to model the flesh. It was painted by Marco d’Oggiono, a Milanese artist who worked in Leonardo’s studio.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtPortrait of a Youth as Saint SebastianOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.