Medieval Images of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (review)

This is a monumental piece of work. James France has compiled a catalog of 964 images of St. Bernard of Clairvaux from all over western and central Europe ranging in date from Bernard’s lifetime up to c.1530. The catalog is presented in digital format on a CD that accompanies the book. The images are classified according to medium: drawings, engravings, glass, manuscripts (nearly half of the total), paintings, sculptures, wall paintings, and miscellaneous other items categorized as “various.” Each is given a summary catalog entry, including bibliography and (in almost every case) a photograph. The photographs are close-ups of the image in question and consequently give little idea of the relationship of the image to the rest of the manuscript, work of art, or context to which it belongs. The photographs are, not surprisingly, of variable quality and, being in jpeg format, of moderate definition. Bringing them together in a single database must have been a huge task. Thumbnail pages make it possible to view all the images in each category together; it is also possible to bring them up on the screen grouped according to the main iconographical themes. This digital catalog is a remarkable research tool. By its publication, it should flush out further images that have escaped the author’s attention. It will probably not be long before the total reaches four figures, and we can no doubt look forward to supplements and updates in due course. Meanwhile, this will be the basis for all future work on Bernardine iconography. It also points the way toward future possibilities for comprehensive collections of the medieval iconography of other saints across the whole of Europe and ultimately toward comparative studies of a previously undreamed-of extent.

The value of such a catalog depends on its completeness and its accuracy, and is merely the starting point for analysis and interpretation. In the printed volume, France gives us an extended account of the development and varieties of Bernardine iconography. There have been previous regional and thematic studies, as well as detailed accounts of individual manuscripts and works of art—and these will continue to be needed to deepen our understanding of the topic, especially as regards the individual contexts and meanings of particular images, and their relationship to broader artistic trends. But the comprehensive catalog gives for the first time a global view and opens up possibilities for comparisons across time and space that would not previously have been possible. For instance, there are a mere thirteen images of Bernard recorded from the twelfth century, compared to sixty-five from the thirteenth, and a veritable explosion of images from the late-Middle Ages. For the most part, however, France adopts a thematic approach that highlights, for instance, the relative paucity of narrative cycles compared to such devotional images as Bernard receiving the embrace of the Crucified Christ, the famous Lactatio motif and other images emphasizing Bernard’s devotion to Mary, and Bernard and the devil, as well as a special category of images of Bernard in illustrated cycles of the Divine Comedy. France has been extraordinarily assiduous in compiling textual and liturgical sources as well as visual material, and it is not possible in a short review adequately to convey the richness of material that he presents not just for iconographers but also for anyone interested in the cult of Bernard and his impact on late-medieval devotion. At times, however, the wealth of the data and the density of the descriptions become almost overwhelming, and there are repetitive passages. There also seems to be some uncertainty about the intended readership. Scholars will welcome the extensive quotations from the Latin and vernacular sources, for instance, but may wonder why it is necessary to explain the difference between Benedictines and Cistercians, or what a Book of Hours is. Other readers might well feel the reverse. A firmer editorial hand might have been beneficial. All...