MEDIEVAL IMAGES OF SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX - WA47.jpg

Category Wall Painting
Origin: artist/workshop
Date 15c/1
Reference No
Size
Provenance Owen, St Bernard Chapel
Present Location Owen, St Bernard Chapel
Bibliography VP1:12:58 (PL185:258-9) Jakobs & France 2005, 63-5

Illustration From photo - Landesamt fuer Denkmalpflege (Felix Pilz)
Other illustrations Jakobs & France 2005, ill 78

Country Germany
Description:
One of twelve early fifteenth-century images from the life of Bernard in the chapel dedicated to him at Owen in Wuerttemberg, of which fragments of eleven remain. Bernard with a halo sits up in bed, the lower part of his body covered by a bedspread and with two pillows behind him. His hands are folded in prayer before another saint whose right hand appears to be raised in blessing Bernard. He or she is accompanied by two angels one of whom is holding a chalice. Although it is hard to identify this scene, the most likely saint to be blessing Bernard is Mary and it may therefore refer to the story of Bernard on his sickbed ordering one of his monks to visit the church and pray for him. Although Benedict and Lawrence, who appear in the story, are absent from the Owen image, there is another example of the story in which the two saints are also absent - one of the six scenes in the Florentine altarpiece from c. 1430 (PA117). See also WA39-WA46 & WA 48-WA49.