Madonna and child with Saints Roch and Sebastian

This oil on canvas shows the Virgin holding the Christ Child, who sits on a low throne, flanked below by Saint Roch, recognisable by his pilgrim's staff and the sore on his leg, and Saint Sebastian, shown unusually as an elegantly dressed gentleman who is identified only by the two arrows he holds against his leg. It hangs on a side altar of the church of Sant'Andrea in Pralboino, though it was originally made for the church of San Rocco in that town. It is dated around 1528 and is usually regarded as a turning point in Moretto's career: the composition is clearly organised, the architecture is plain, and raking light models the forms without ornament. The folds of the fabrics, especially Saint Sebastian's cloak, are painted with care. It marks the end of the artist's early period and the start of his maturity, after he had tried various solutions in composition, concept and colour.

Painter

Moretto da Brescia

Date

1528

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

273 × 183 cm

Museum

church of Sant'Andrea

Genre

religious art

Depicts

Saint Roch, Saint Sebastian, boy, Mary, woman, mother, Christ Child

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