Vision of Saint Bernard (Perugino)
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| Vision of Saint Bernard |
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| Pietro Perugino , around 1490/1494 |
| Oil on poplar wood |
| 173 × 170 cm |
| Alte Pinakothek , Munich |
The Vision of Saint Bernard ( Apparizione della Vergine a San Bernardo ) is an altar painting by the Italian painter Pietro Perugino and was created around 1490/1494 in the High Renaissance. The altar panel is painted with oils on poplar wood.
The subject of the picture is a scene from the life of St. Bernard of Clairvaux , to whom Our Lady, the Evangelist John and St. Bartholomew appear while writing his homilies .
Image description
Mary and two angels appear to St. Bernard of Clairvaux . Maria and Bernhard, keeping eye contact , are each flanked by two assistant figures: Maria by two angels standing on the floor and Bernhard by Johannes (evangelist) and Bartholomew (apostle) . The full-length Maria is turned towards the viewer like in a play. The image structure is mirror-symmetrical. The center of the picture shows a mild, calm natural landscape.
Bernhard is shown sitting at his desk and raising his arms. The atmosphere appears very calm.
Provenance
Perugino painted the altarpiece for the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi in Florence. The painting, one of Perugino's main works, was acquired by King Ludwig I in 1829 through the mediation of Johann Baptist Metzger . It was one of the main attractions at the time when Perugino was considered one of the greatest painters of all time. It is exhibited in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Web links
- Image data
- www.swr.de Never again no idea - picture inspection: Pietro Perugino, vision of St. Bernhard, 1492
- NZZ: Perugino's “Vision of St. Bernard”, interpreted by Navid Kermani .