The "Master of Candlelight" (documented in Rome, early 17th century)
Saint Sebastian Tended to by Irene and the Pious Women,
1620/1630 ca.
oil on canvas; inv. P 88
acquisition: bequest of Luisa Verzaglia Rusconi, 1919
The scene of Saint Sebastian ravaged by arrows and being tended to by
Irene was often chosen by artists who used the
“painting-by-candlelight” style.
This manner spread throughout Italy in the first half of the 17th
century mostly thanks to the work of the Caravaggesque artist Gerrit
van Honthorst and his disciples.
The anonymous painter of this work, known as “Maestro del lume di
candela” (Master of Candlelight), belonged to this manner and has long
been identified with the Provencial Trophîme Bigot, whose
presence in Rome has been documented from 1620 to 1634.
