St. Sebastian Tended by the Pious Women

Three devout women tend to the body of the martyred St. Sebastian, who lies lifelessly on the austere stone slab of his tomb. His nude body conveys the nature of his death: he is muscular and heroic, yet shriveled and contorted as if he suffered greatly during his final moments. His face remains hidden from view, emphasizing that the sacred figure has left the temporal world.

This painting was left unfinished upon the artist’s premature death in 1615. Schedoni, for example, had yet to paint the arrow the woman plucks from Sebastian’s side. Nevertheless it entered the collection of the artist’s loyal patron Ranuccio I Farnese. The painting’s realistic depiction of the body and its unvarnished portrayal of death invite comparison to Caravaggio, whose recklessness and impetuous temper Schedoni shared.