The following description was provided by James Gardiner: "Saint Sebastian, an early Christian martyr, is usually depicted nearly naked, tied to a tree, and pierced by arrows. As such, he is probably the most easily recognised Christian martyr, and has become something of a cult among gay artists. He has been the subject of works by Guido Reni, Botticelli, Titian and John Singer Sargent to name but a few, and the subject of a controversial film by Derek Jarman in the 1970s. Postcards of some of these paintings are frequently found in gay collections".
This work is untitled: the title has been supplied by the cataloguer.
