Saint Bernard of Clairvaux with the Instruments of the Passion
c. 1625
Medium
pen and brown ink with gray and brown wash and black chalk, incised for transfer on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 31.6 x 20.3 cm (12 7/16 x 8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection
Accession Number
2009.70.12
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Created around 1625 by Flemish artist Pieter de Jode, this drawing portrays Saint of Clairvaux, the influential 12th-century Cistercian abbot and Doctor of the Church, alongside the Instruments of the Passion. These symbolic objects—such as the cross, crown of thorns, and nailsevoke Christ’s suffering and were popular in Counter-Reformation devotional art, encouraging personal meditation on the crucifixion. De Jode, known for his skilled engravings and reproductive prints after leading masters, brings a refined sensibility to this religious subject. The work’s medium—pen and brown ink with gr...