159 - ALEJO DE VAHIA (Circle of)

ALEJO DE VAHIA (Circle of) (Spain, active between 1480 and 1515) St. Sebastian Polychrome wood sculpture. The sculpture depicts a polychrome carved wooden Saint Sebastian, characterized by the typical holes in the torso and legs that once held the arrows of his martyrdom. The elongated face and the shape of the eyes and lips faithfully reflect the typical models found in the body of work attributed to Alejo de Vahía. Although the figure’s form shows a transition toward the early Renaissance, it retains the rigidity and expressiveness typical of the late 15th-century Spanish-Flemish tradition. Other similarities with the Spanish sculptor include the lean anatomical rendering, the distinctive shape of the loincloth tied at the hips, and the hair modeled in compact, wavy locks. Height: 98 cm.