Saint Sebastian

Saint Sebastian was invoked against the plague throughout the Middle Ages. In later centuries, many chapels (requiring numerous images) were raised in his honour in Portuguese territories and in the Christian parts of India. While comparatively larger images of Saint Sebastian were usually part of chapels and churches dedicated to the Saint, the smaller images were placed in the private chapels of some Christian homes.
This image of Saint Sebastian is made of ivory and has traces of polychrome. He is shown tied to a tree by a rope while being shot by arrows as is common in most images of Saint Sebastian. The wounds caused by the arrows have also been shown in this image while the arrows that must’ve formed part of this image, now lost.