Italian school; 17th century.

Italian school; XVII century.
"Madonna and Child with St. Bernard".
Oil on copper.
It has a frame of the seventeenth century.
Measurements: 13 x 10,5 cm; 20,5 x 16,5 cm (frame).
Devotional work in which a scene from the life of St. Bernard (XII century) is narrated: the mystical apparition of the Virgin while the saint is praying in his ecclesiastical chambers. The character, resolved with a monumental sense of form and a treatment of color rich in nuances, wears cardinal's attire, carrying a golden crosier.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was a French Cistercian monk, abbot of the abbey of Clairvaux, with whom the Cistercian order spread throughout Europe. He was also known for his participation in the main doctrinal conflicts of his time, his writings, his preaching during the Second Crusade, etc. The legend of the "lactatio" was well known in Spain, as attested by works such as the present one and its inclusion in documents such as the Cancionero de Úbeda and the Cantigas de Santa María, for example. This miracle would be the appearance of Mary to St. Bernard to offer him milk for his defense of the figure of the Virgin.
During the Spanish colonial domination, a mainly religious painting was developed, destined to Christianize the indigenous peoples. The local painters were modeled on Spanish works, which they followed literally in terms of types and iconography.