The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian – British Library – London

The miniature depicts the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian: the Roman soldier was in fact condemned to death because of his Christian faith, and the theme frequently recurs in the Perugino’s works. However, in the miniature the iconography changes slightly: the figure of Saint Sebastian in fact occupies the superior part of the page, with the saint being tied above a trunk and not to the more common column; the body is almost completely naked except for a purple cloth knotted on his hips, while two flying angels float around him. Below, two characters dressed in Renaissance style hold the tense arches and are about to shoot the arrows that will pierce him.
Perugino painted this scene in Bologna around 1500, signing it at the bottom of the page PETRVS PERVSINVS PINXIT.
 
The miniature was made for Bonaparte Ghislieri, a senator from Bologna; after several collecting passages, the parchment is now preserved at the British Library in London.