3-098-367 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Death of Saint Bernard, 1545. The saint, on his deathbed, receives a visit from the Virgin Mary, who places her right hand on his chest. In the background, two Bernardine monks witness the scene. The subject matter is very unusual within the iconography of the saint, so the religious community of Valdeiglesias must have provided the painter with some text or explicit reference regarding the meaning of the scene and the figures to be included. The saint's bed is positioned parallel to the viewer, and behind him are the figures of Mary, Saint Lawrence holding his gridiron, and Saint Benedict with pastoral staff. Two monks in the background are witnesses to the miracle. Next to the bed is a table on which rests a pewter plate with two quinces. On the floor is a kind of holy water font. The scene takes place in an interior of noble architecture, open through an archway to the garden of a monastic cloister.