This painting is one of the finest products of the late period in Titian's career. The artist turned to a subject that had attracted many Italian Renaissance masters. In Titian's interpretation the image of the Christian martyr, who, legend has it, was executed on the orders of Emperor Diocletian for refusing to worship pagan idols, resembles the Greek Prometheus, who brought humans divine fire against the will of Zeus. Sebastian's powerful torso in the Venetian painter's work is an embodiment of strength, while the eyes looking out from beneath thundery brows express not the physical torment of a wounded man, but rather a challenge coupled with reproach.Exploiting the texture of his paints and the three-dimensional quality of brushstrokes, Titian here used the interrelationships of colours to achieve for the first time in the history of painting a unique effect of scintillating colour. Odd, fantastic highlights flare up on the surface of the saint's body, creating an impression of living, pulsating flesh.