Saint Sebastian
- unknown artist
Unknown artist, Saint Sebastian, 1700s. Ivory and paint; 7¼ in. Gift of Olive Bigelow, 1971.488.
This small work in ivory shows Saint Sebastian with his traditional iconography: tied to a tree and pierced with arrow wounds. These may have originally been adorned with metal arrows that have since been lost. The saint stands in a mild contrapposto pose, though his anatomy is not fully realized and his face fleshy.
Small ivory statues were among the desirable luxury goods shipped from the Philippines to Latin America and Europe via the Manila Galleon trade route. They were typically produced in Manila by Chinese artists (known as sangleys) using raw ivory tusks imported from East Africa or India. Many relied on European engravings as models.
– Kathryn Santner, Frederick and Jan Mayer Fellow of Spanish Colonial Art, 2023