Re-visioning St. Sebastian: Nicoletto da Modena’s Reworked Engravings of St. Sebastian

Abstract

In around 1522, the date on his engraving of St. Roch, Nicoletto da Modena reworked a print of St. Sebastian of shared dimensions to create a pendant. In the second state, St. Sebastian is enlarged and placed in the front of the picture plane, focusing our attention on his body. This paper will consider how Nicoletto draws from printmakers including Marcantonio and Campagnola to re-vision his St. Sebastian’s anatomy through sensitive tonal modelling of his flesh. Whether an epidemic of the plague in 1522-4 prompted Nicoletto to make these prints of the plague saints and whether these engravings were issued in Padua, where he is documented from around 1497-1506 will also be considered.

Keywords

• Andrea Mantegna. Nicoletto da Modena. Padua. Plague. Printmaking. Saint Sebastian