Author: Paolo Caliari known as Veronese
Century: XVI°
Church: Church of San Sebastiano
DATE: 1581
POSITION: right wall – fourth altar (on map n°8)
MEASUREMENT: 260×125 cm
METHOD: oil painting
First mentioned by Sansovino (1581) in the Garzoni family chapel, as a work by Veronese and Ridolfi (1648), that he dated after the paintings concerning the martyrdom of St Sebastian dated in 1565.
Before the restoration in 1965, the painting had been poorly conserved, to the point that it seemed falsified due to many 18th and 19th century interventions and by the excessive repainting; thus resulting in, numerous conservation scholars to question the degree of authenticity. The resotration, however revealed a top quality work, and the dating was precisely as appeared to be around the 18th century, due to the stylistic similarities compared with works from that epoch (Pignatti).
“On the stunningly simple Crucifixion altar – the wooden cross literally crosses over the fainted Holy Mary’s womb, who thus becomes the mother of the cross, and the direct path to redemption” Agusto Gentili, Veronese in the church of San Sebastiano, Marsilio Editori, Venice, 2005
