St Sebastian

St Sebastian

Title

St Sebastian

[cda 2019]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

Recto: St Sebastian is depicted as a full-length figure, facing left against a landscape and wearing contemporary dress. He is holding arrows as a symbol of his martyrdom.

Verso: the Man of Sorrows (a later addition)

Attribution
Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder

Attribution

Workshop Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

Production dates
about 1525 - 1530
about 1535 - 1545

Production dates

about 1525 - 1530

[Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

about 1535 - 1545

[cda 2019]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 94 x 38.5 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 94 x 38.5 cm

  • Dimensions including frame: 115 x 57 cm

  • [Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia at the lower right: serpent with elevated wings (not genuine)

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia at the lower right: serpent with elevated wings (not genuine)

Owner
Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
Repository
Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
Location
Magdeburg
CDA ID
DE_KHMM_G277
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KHMM_G277/

Connected Works

St Paul
  • St Paul, about 1525 - 1530
  • DE_KHMM_G278
  • Painting
  • Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [left wing]: St Wolfgang [verso]
  • Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [left wing]: St Wolfgang [verso], about 1535 - 1545
  • AT_SKT_NONE-SKT001b
  • Painting
  • Liegenschaftsstiftung der Diözese Innsbruck
Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [right wingl]: St Kunigunde [verso]
  • Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [right wingl]: St Kunigunde [verso], about 1535 - 1545
  • AT_SKT_NONE-SKT001c
  • Painting
  • Liegenschaftsstiftung der Diözese Innsbruck
Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [verso, left]: St Andrew
  • Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [verso, left]: St Andrew, about 1535 - 1545
  • AT_SKT_NONE-SKT001d
  • Painting
  • Liegenschaftsstiftung der Diözese Innsbruck
Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [verso, right]: St Peter
  • Altarpiece from Thurnfeld Abbey [verso, right]: St Peter, about 1535 - 1545
  • AT_SKT_NONE-SKT001e
  • Painting
  • Liegenschaftsstiftung der Diözese Innsbruck

Provenance

  • 1898 gifted by the Councillor of Commerce Paul Hennige, Magdeburg
    [Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Exhib. Cat. Halle 2006 171-172 081 (u.)
EditorThomas Schauerte
TitleDer Kardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg. Renaissancefürst und Mäzen. Bd. 1: Katalog
Place of PublicationRegensburg
Year of Publication2006
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

This panel and its companion piece, a depiction of St Paul, belong to an altarpiece and are the sides shown on feast days. When closed the wings show a depiction of the Man of Sorrows on the left and the Virgin of Sorrows on the right. The exterior is of inferior artistic quality. […] The double halo bearing capital letters recalls those of the Passion cycle created for Halle.

[Exhib. Cat. Halle 2006, 171-172, No. 81]

The depictions on the exterior of the wing panels were added at a later stage.

[cda 2019]

This panel, together with its companion piece [DE_KHMM_G278], also in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Magdeburg, and four further panels now in Thurnfeld Abbey [AT_SKT_NONE-SKT001b-e], probably originally belonged to a larger retable.

[cda 2020]

  • St Sebastian, about 1525 - 1530

Images

Compare images
  • overall
  • overall
  • reverse
  • reverse
  • irr
  • irr
  • detail
  • detail

Technical studies

03. 2019Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • Infrared reflectography
  • irr
  • irr

Underdrawing

St Sebastian (recto)

DESCRIPTION

Tools/Material:

- fluid, black medium, brush

Type/Ductus:

- relatively thin to somewhat broader lines

Function:

-relatively binding for the final painted version; lines delineate the main contours and describe essential details and facial features; no representation of volume with hatching strokes

Deviations:

- minor corrections were made to forms during the painting process

INTERPRETATION

Attribution:

- Cranach workshop

Comments:

- probably after a pre-existing design

Christ as the Man of Sorrows (verso)

DESCRIPTION

Tools/Material:

- fluid, black medium, brush

Type/Ductus:

- relatively thin to somewhat broader lines

Function:

- relatively binding for the final painted version; lines delineate the main contours and describe essential details and facial features, no representation of volume with hatching strokes

Deviations:

- corrections were made to forms during the painting process

INTERPRETATION

Attribution:

- not possible

Comments:

- later addition, not from the Cranach workshop

[Sandner, Smith-Contini, Heydenreich, cda 2019]

  • photographed by Gunnar Heydenreich
  • photographed by Ingo Sandner

Conservation History

Date2008 -

Conservation treatment 2008

[Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg, revised 2019]

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'St Sebastian', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KHMM_G277/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'St Sebastian', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_KHMM_G277/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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