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354 VENETIAN INDEX.
/ little idea of the design may be obtained. The "St. Rocco"
is a fine figure, though rather coarse, but, at all events, worth as
much light as would enable us to see it.
22. St. Sebastian. This, the companion figure, is one of the
finest things in the whole room, and assuredly the most majestic Saint Sebastian in existence; as far as mere humanity can
be majestic, for there is no effort at any expression of angelic
or saintly resignation; the effort is simply to realize the fact of
the martyrdom, and it seems to me that this is done to an extent not even attempted by any other painter. I never saw a
man die a violent death, and therefore cannot say whether this
figure be true or not, but it gives the grandest and most intense
impression of truth. The figure is dead, and well it may be,
for there is one arrow through the forehead and another
through the heart; but the eyes are open, though glazed, and
the body is rigid in the position in which it last stood, the left
arm raised and the left limb advanced, something in the attitude of a soldier sustaining an attack under his shield, while
the dead eyes are still turned in the direction from which the
arrows came: but the most characteristic feature is the way these
arrows are fixed. In the common martyrdoms of St. Sebastian
they are stuck into him here and there like pins, as if they had
been shot from a great distance and had come faltering down,
entering the flesh but a little way, and rather bleeding the saint
to death than mortally wounding him; but Tintoret had no such
ideas about archery. He must have seen bows drawn in battle,
like that of Jehu when he smote Jehoram between the harness:
all the arrows in the saint's body lie straight in the same direction, broad-feathered and strong-shafted, and sent apparently
with the force of thunderbolts; every one of them has gone
through him like a lance, two through the limbs, one through
the arm, one through the heart, and the last has crashed
through the forehead, nailing the head to the tree behind as if
it had been dashed in by a sledge-hammer. The face, in spite
of its ghastliness, is • beautiful, and has been serene; and the
light which enters first and glistens on the plumes of the arrows,
dies softly away upon the curling hair, and mixes with the glory
upon the forehead. There is not a more remarkable picture in
Venice, and yet I do not suppose that one in a thousand of the
| Title | The stones of Venice - 3 |
| Creator | Ruskin, John |
| Publisher | J. Wiley |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Date | 1889 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000384 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 354 VENETIAN INDEX. / little idea of the design may be obtained. The "St. Rocco" is a fine figure, though rather coarse, but, at all events, worth as much light as would enable us to see it. 22. St. Sebastian. This, the companion figure, is one of the finest things in the whole room, and assuredly the most majestic Saint Sebastian in existence; as far as mere humanity can be majestic, for there is no effort at any expression of angelic or saintly resignation; the effort is simply to realize the fact of the martyrdom, and it seems to me that this is done to an extent not even attempted by any other painter. I never saw a man die a violent death, and therefore cannot say whether this figure be true or not, but it gives the grandest and most intense impression of truth. The figure is dead, and well it may be, for there is one arrow through the forehead and another through the heart; but the eyes are open, though glazed, and the body is rigid in the position in which it last stood, the left arm raised and the left limb advanced, something in the attitude of a soldier sustaining an attack under his shield, while the dead eyes are still turned in the direction from which the arrows came: but the most characteristic feature is the way these arrows are fixed. In the common martyrdoms of St. Sebastian they are stuck into him here and there like pins, as if they had been shot from a great distance and had come faltering down, entering the flesh but a little way, and rather bleeding the saint to death than mortally wounding him; but Tintoret had no such ideas about archery. He must have seen bows drawn in battle, like that of Jehu when he smote Jehoram between the harness: all the arrows in the saint's body lie straight in the same direction, broad-feathered and strong-shafted, and sent apparently with the force of thunderbolts; every one of them has gone through him like a lance, two through the limbs, one through the arm, one through the heart, and the last has crashed through the forehead, nailing the head to the tree behind as if it had been dashed in by a sledge-hammer. The face, in spite of its ghastliness, is • beautiful, and has been serene; and the light which enters first and glistens on the plumes of the arrows, dies softly away upon the curling hair, and mixes with the glory upon the forehead. There is not a more remarkable picture in Venice, and yet I do not suppose that one in a thousand of the |
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