German School, first third of the 16th century. Circles of the Master of the Holy Kinship of Biberach.

German School, first third of the 16th century. Attributed to the MASTER OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF BIBERACH. Swabia, Germany, first third of the 16th century.
“Saint Sebastian.”
Carved and polychromed wood.
Measurements: 85 x 38 x 28 cm.

A sculpture in the round, carved from wood and polychromed, depicting Saint Sebastian during his martyrdom, tied to a tree trunk and with his body partially covered by a cloth of purity.

The work is stylistically related to the output of the so-called Master of the Sacred Kinship of Biberach, a sculptor active in the Swabian region during the early decades of the 16th century. Among the works in his corpus, a depiction of the same saint preserved at the Bode-Museum in Berlin (inv. 10/84) stands out; it is dated to around 1515 and carved from linden wood with its original polychrome paint. The existence of this example constitutes an important point of reference for the study of sculpture and its connection to the artistic tradition developed in the workshops of southern Germany.

The Master of the Holy Family of Biberach derives his conventional name from a relief of the Holy Family from the parish church of Biberach an der Riß, currently housed in the Dominikanermuseum in Rottweil. His work is characterized by delicate modeling, the individualization of faces, and a naturalistic treatment of the human figure—aspects that reflect the gradual assimilation of new Renaissance sensibilities into the late-Gothic sculptural tradition. Its authorship has been attributed to Michael Zeynsler, although this attribution remains a subject of historiographical debate.

Depictions of Saint Sebastian became widespread in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly because he was regarded as a protector against the plague. His image, frequently linked to devotional sculptural programs, allowed artists to explore the male nude while maintaining the religious and expressive character typical of depictions of martyrdom.