St Sebastian

The techniques used in carving in wood and stone were fundamentally the same. First the sculptor carved the rough shape of the piece, a process known as 'blocking out'. Then, he would work the surface with knives or chisels and abrasives. The figure was generally held horizontally at a workbench and attached to cylindrical shafts, so the sculptor could turn the piece as he carved. Small-scale pieces were generally carved at a workbench.

Boxwood was a fine-grained wood much used for small-scale sculpture.

The technique used here of gilding underlying the paint, or being revealed when the paint is scratched through, is typical of Spanish sculpture.