Saint Sebastian was a Christian martyr and a very popular subject in painting from the Renaissance onwards. Killed during the Roman Emperor Diocletian's persecution of the Christians in the third century, he is commonly depicted naked, tied to a tree or post and being shot through with arrows. In this painting only the saint's head and shoulders are visible, but he is clearly naked and being tortured as his head is turned up to the left and his eyes are gazing heavenwards.

The design derives from an original composition by Reni in the Prado, Madrid, in which the saint is shown in three-quarter-length in a landscape, with an arrow clearly visible in his torso. A second version of the three-quarter-length composition exists in the Louvre, Paris, but the Prado version is thought to be the original, and dates to around 1617. Various other copies and derivations exist; while the present picture might be only an old copy it seems of some quality and is therefore attributed to the studio of Reni.