Albarello

18th century

This albarello is decorated with rich yellow, blue, and green glazes. St. Sebastian is depicted within a yellow oval. One side of the jar is decorated with soldier’s armor, helmets, shields, and a drum all iconography associated with the martyrdom of St. Sebastian. The container’s shoulders are decorated with bands of acanthus leaves. St. Sebastian is the patron saint of archers and soldiers. When the Black Death was running rampant in 14th-century Europe, he became the patron saint of plague sufferers as well.