Seated at a reading desk in front of a landscape, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) has a vision of the Virgin Mary attended by two angels. The saint, who wears the white habit of the Cistercian order of monks, was known for his devotion to the Virgin, and several mystical visions of her were ascribed to him. This painting, which the great writer on art Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) thought was the best Puligo ever did, is executed in a monumental and yet graceful style.