Life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux: Saint Bernard mediates a dispute between Bishop Stephan von Bar and Duke Matthew von Lothringen in Metz (one of two)
Unknown Artist
after 1535
Medium
Stained glass
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed, with brass framing): 28 5/8 x 33 3/8 in. (72.7 x 84.8 cm); Other (brass support extends behind panel): 3/8 in. (1 cm); Other (thickness of brass framing): 3/8 in. (1 cm)
Classification
Glass-Stained
Culture
German, Cologne
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Stanley Mortimer, 1959
Accession Number
59.183.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant stained glass panel, created in Cologne, Germany, after 5, captures a pivotal moment from the *Life of Saint Bernard ofvaux*. It depicts the 12th-century Cistercian monk and theologian mediating a heated dispute between Bishop Stephan von and Duke Matthew von Lothringen in the city of Metz. As one of two panels on this theme, it exemplifies medieval hagiography—sacred biographies that celebrated saints' virtues through dramatic vignettes. Saint Bernard, revered for his eloquence and piety, often intervened in noble conflicts, underscoring the Church's role in secular politics duri...