This figure of Saint Sebastian is the only surviving work signed by the artist, who often signed works with his brother. It is identifiable as the central panel of a polyptych (a picture or relief made up of two or more separate panels), which was commissioned for a chapel in the Carmine, Pavia. The two other main panels are in a private collection near Milan.
According to the legend, Saint Sebastian was an officer in the imperial guard of the Roman emperor Diocletian. When it was revealed that he was a Christian he was shot with arrows, but his wounds healed. He was subsequently martyred by being stoned to death.
