The Le Cellier Altarpiece

Jean Bellegambe French

Not on view

Saint Bernard, the standing monk seen on the left interior wing, was a reformer of the Cistercian order and a fervent proponent of the cult of Mary. In this triptych he gathers with his family around the throne of the Virgin. The altarpiece was commissioned by Jeanne de Boubais, abbess of the Cistercian convent of Flines, who appears in the central panel in the guise of Saint Bernard's sister, Humbeline, and for this reason wears the black Benedictine habit. Painted in grisaille on the exterior is Bernard's vision of the Virgin, who miraculously wet the saint's lips with her milk.

The Le Cellier Altarpiece, Jean Bellegambe (French, Douai ca. 1470–1535/36 Douai), Oil on wood

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