This painting, by Josse Lieferinxe, was completed in 1497 and depicts a group of diseased and injured pilgrims visiting the tomb of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of soldiers and the plague-stricken. Lieferinxe was originally from the Southern Netherlands, and was identified by his pseudonym, The Master of St. Sebastian, until he was identified in 1942. His style was defined by the Provincial style originating in France where he spent the better part of his painting career (WGA 1). Most of Lieferinxe’s work focuses on faith stories and triumphant saints and angels. Only a few of his pieces focus on any form of everyday life, including this painting. The question this draws, is why would he choose to spend his time depicting such a sad scene? The answer seems to come from his devotion to St. Sebastian. While St. Sebastian may not be commonly known in modern times, during the late gothic and early Renaissance he was the most commonly depicted saint in paintings. This was caused by his role as the protector of those afflicted by the bubonic plague, a common worry during this time period. With this all taken into account, Lieferinxe’s depiction of the tomb, even without St. Sebastian being “physically” present, follows well with accepted theological traditions (Boeckl). It also follows accepted traditions involving healing and medicine. For the Early Modern peasant, disease and injury were often the random fact of life, and if a local healer couldn’t find a cure or method for healing any given ailment there was no other for healing than to hope for a miracle. Often times certain saints, like Sebastian, were associated with healing certain types of injuries, or types of people (Wiesner Hanks 167).
"Pilgrims at the Tomb of St Sebastian by LIEFERINXE, Josse." Stigmatization of St Catherine of Siena by BECCAFUMI, Domenico. Accessed September 21, 2018. https://www.wga.hu/html/l/lieferin/sebasti1.html.