MEDIEVAL IMAGES OF SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX - GL51.jpg


Category	Glass
Origin: artist/workshop	Cologne workshop
Date	16C/1
Reference No
Size	63x89
Provenance	Altenberg Cistercian Abbey, cloister
Present Location	Shrewsbury, England, St Mary's Church, north window
Bibliography	EM2:3 (Griesser 1961, 100-1); Paffrath 1984, 195-6; Hunt 1951, 16
	Eckert 1953, 116; Paris 1990, 291; France 1998, 172
Illustration From	Paffrath 1984, ill 57
Other illustrations	Eckert 1953, pl 37
	Paris 1990, ill 248; France 1998, ill 116
Country	Germany

Description:
1505/32. The story from the 'Exordium Magnum' of Bernard's vision of angels surrounding the monks during vigils and recording their varying degrees of devotion by writing in gold, silver, ink, or water. The Clairvaux choir is depicted with three monks on either side of the stalls, each carrying a book, and the high altar in the background. Furthest left is Bernard holding a crozier and with an aspersorium of holy water before him. In the front of the other monks are five kneeling angels, each with a scroll on which their decision is recorded in one of the four media. While four of them have their heads bowed and are clearly writing, the fifth, facing Bernard, is looking up and her scroll is blank.

Description:

1505/32. The story from the 'Exordium Magnum' of Bernard's vision of angels surrounding the monks during vigils and recording their varying degrees of devotion by writing in gold, silver, ink, or water. The Clairvaux choir is depicted with three monks on either side of the stalls, each carrying a book, and the high altar in the background. Furthest left is Bernard holding a crozier and with an aspersorium of holy water before him. In the front of the other monks are five kneeling angels, each with a scroll on which their decision is recorded in one of the four media. While four of them have their heads bowed and are clearly writing, the fifth, facing Bernard, is looking up and her scroll is blank.