Saint Bernard with the Madonna and Child 1480 - 1500

This anonymous print depicts Saint Bernard alongside the Madonna and Child, a sacred grouping rendered with potent symbolism. Note the halos encircling their heads, emblems of divinity tracing back to ancient sun worship. Saint Bernard’s presence, marked by his monastic garb and the symbolic rose, signifies purity and divine love. The Madonna, adorned with a crown, embodies regal motherhood, a motif echoing ancient fertility goddesses. The Christ Child, presented frontally, gestures towards blessing, a convention repeated across centuries, harking back to imperial Roman depictions of authority. Consider the repetition of such gestures, mirrored in Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance paintings alike. These are not mere artistic choices, but rather conduits of cultural memory, subconsciously shaping our understanding of power, divinity, and the maternal bond. The image serves as a powerful reminder of the cyclical nature of symbols, their resurgence, evolution, and continued relevance in the human psyche.