Scenes from the Life of St Bertin

The row of scenes making up the right shutter shows St Bertin miraculously separating wine from water in the same barrel, and the convert entering the monastery; the vow of four monks, the defeat of the Tempter, appearing in the form of a woman, and finally the saint’s death. The different scenes are divided from one another by arched pillars, and the care lavished on the details suggests a proficiency in the painting of miniatures. The small size of each scene nonetheless adds up to an impression of monumentality, serving the purpose of the painting which is the idealized presentation of the intimate and sublime episodes of the monk’s life.