The late dating of Antonello da Messina's Saint Sebastian

The painting representing Saint Sebastian, Saint Roch and Saint Christopher was long attributed to the Venetian stay of Antonello da Messina between 1475 and 1476. This dating had to be revised because the Scuola San Rocco, the patron of the work, only came into existence in the summer of 1478 following a plague epidemic. This canvas consequently constitutes the very last commission completed by the painter before his death in February 1479.