Medieval Images of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

To have gathered this much material in one place, some of it previously unknown, represents a considerable accomplishment . . . this study provides the foundation and a good deal of the superstructure for all future work on the topic.

This is simply a wonderful book . . . a solid, meaty volume . . . The book's wealth of historical contextualization reveals France's exhaustive research into all aspects of Cistercian and Bernardine life and legend. . . . This book contains a wealth of essential basic information not only on Bernard but on wide-ranging aspects of Cistercian history, such as the fact that because of Bernard's opposition to visual illustration, his own earliest images appear in non-Cistercian monasteries and manuscripts. France never condescends; he simply gives the information necessary for understanding the images . . . He also writes clearly, cleanly and gracefully; there is not an ounce of either pretentiousness or obscurity in this book. It will inform and intrigue everyone who reads it, and anyone with any interest in Cistercian life and history should read it.

For scholars of saints and/or Cistercianism, this will be an invaluable resource. For those who intend to carry out similar projects, this combination of book and CD-ROM has blazed a new technological train by reproducing in a relatively convenient format almost every image in the history of the depiction of Saint Bernard, for the remarkably small sum of $49.95. . . . This catalogue stands almost alone among its contemporaries for the comprehensiveness not just of its illustrations, but also for the bibliography that accompanies each of the artworks on the CD-ROM. . . . Scholars and presses who aspire to revive the lost art of publishing scholarly catalogues should certainly take note.

The book is invaluable in tracing how images of the saint were used during the Middle Ages. It also throws important new light on the way that images of the saint developed in different countries, as well as how depictions of the same subject evolved to suit changing needs.