Artwork Title: Saint Sebastian

Saint Sebastian, 1533

Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo)

Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano Tori, known as Bronzino, was one of the leading artists of Florentine Mannerism.... in 1532, Bronzino was again in Florence and it was at this point that he painted the present Saint Sebastian. ...The tondo depicting Saint Matthew, attributed to Bronzino, is notably similar in concept to the present Saint Sebastian. In these two works the two half-length figures emerge from dark backgrounds, their nude torsos swathed in drapery. Although the figure of Saint Matthew is arranged to form a pronounced diagonal created by the position of his shoulders and the forward slant of his head, the parallels between the two are still clearly evident.... The present painting has been dated 1533, at a time when Bronzino was defining his own artistic personality following his assimilation of Pontormo’s teachings. The present work has more opaque colors than Pontormo’s, while the solid forms seem to be located in space in an immobile manner, both stylistic features characteristic of Bronzino. Brock suggested that the painting was an allegorical portrait. (https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/bronzino/saint-sebastian)
Uploaded on Aug 6, 2017 by Suzan Hamer

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