Marsyas/St Sebastian
by MANTEGNA, Andrea, Gilded bronze, height 35 cm
The sculpture of a naked man bound to a tree-trunk with both hands can have both a mythological and a religious meaning. Perhaps it was originally intended to be Marsyas and then reworked as St Sebastian. It is attributed to Andrea Mantegna who was described in contemporary sources as a painter, draughtsman, engraver and sculptor. Stylistically the statue matches Mantegna’s work at the Gonzaga court in Mantua.