This is a representation of Saint Sebastian's first martyrdom. For his defense of Christianity, this Roman soldier was condemned to be executed by arrows shot by two archers. Saint Irene freed him while he was still alive and cured his wounds. He was a very popular saint because one of his attributions was the power to cure the black plague.

Ribera depicts the moment when the saint puts himself in God's hands, thus accentuating the drama of the scene and exalting the Counterreformation message of devotion to the holy martyrs as examples of Christian life.