L’iconografia del san Sebastiano a Bologna tra XV e XVI secolo

The numerous plagues that overflown Bologna in the second half of the 15th century were the reason for the spread of saint Sebastian’s iconography in the city, which reached its climax in the last twenty years of the century. The possible political meanings of this iconography are also discussed. Towards the end of the century, we observe a softening of saint Sebastian’s figure, which is less burly in build than the examples painted around the mid-century. We focus on several cases, for which the reasons for the choice of this saint are investigated; they also provide the opportunity to reconsider the attribution of a selection of paintings.