Hl. Bernhard von Clairvaux

This Saint Bernard of Clairvaux attributed to Bouts's circle from around 1456 depicts the Cistercian reformer whose writings on mystical theology and devotion to the Virgin Mary made him one of the most influential spiritual figures of the medieval church. Bernard's white Cistercian habit, his abbatial staff, and frequently the book of his writings identify him visually. As the great reformer of monastic life and the theologian of Marian devotion, Bernard held special significance for the Flemish religious culture that produced Bouts's patronage environment. The attribution to his circle rather than his hand documents the challenge of distinguishing workshop productions from the master's autograph works.

The saint is rendered in the white Cistercian habit with the careful attention to textile rendering characteristic of Bouts's workshop, the ascetic features conveying the intensity of Bernard's renowned spiritual discipline.