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The oldest complete Jesse Tree

window is in Chartres Cathedral,

1145.

Tree of JesseFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Jesse Tree)

The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Christ,shown in a tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father ofking David and is the original use of the family tree as a schematicrepresentation of a genealogy. It originates in a passage in the biblicalBook of Isaiah which describes metaphorically the descent of theMessiah, and is accepted by Christians as referring to Jesus. Thevarious figures depicted in the lineage of Jesus are drawn from thosenames listed in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.

The subject is often seen in Christian art, particularly in that of theMedieval period. The earliest example dates from the 11th centuryand in an illuminated manuscript. There are many examples inMedieval psalters, because of the relation to King David, son ofJesse, and writer of the Psalms. Other examples are in stained glasswindows, stone carvings around the portals of medieval cathedralsand painting on walls and ceilings. The Tree of Jesse also appears insmaller art forms such as embroideries and ivories.

Contents

1 Origins

2 Use

3 Modes of depiction

4 Illuminated manuscripts

4.1 The Vysehrad Codex and Lambeth Palace Bible4.2 Other Illuminated manuscripts

5 Stained glass

5.1 Medieval

5.1.1 Jesse Tree at Chartres Cathedral

5.1.2 York Minster, England

5.1.3 Canterbury Cathedral, England

5.1.4 Wells Cathedral

5.1.5 Renaissance and classical

5.1.6 19th and early 20th century5.1.7 Modern

6 Painting

7 Architectural stone-carving

8 Wood carving

9 Other media

10 Modern use of Jesse Tree

11 Gallery

12 See also

13 References

14 Further reading

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Two panels, all that remain, of a

Jesse Tree window of the late 12th or

early 13th century, Canterbury

Cathedral

Wells Cathedral has a rare example of an intact 14th-century Jesse Tree window which survived the iconoclasm

of the 17th-century and the losses of World War II.[18] The window is located high up in the eastern end of thechoir. The colours of this window are red, yellow, green, white and brown, with very little blue. The window iswide for its height, having seven lights, and being topped by tracery. Consequently, the tendrils of the Treespread out sideways and the central panel has only three figures: the reclining Jesse at the bottom; the BlessedVirgin holding the Christ Child in her arms and above, the crucified Christ. There are fourteen more figures in thewindow, identifiable in some cases by their attributes, such as David's harp and Solomon's model of the Templeof Jerusalem. As well as the tendrils, the figures are framed by typical 14th century canopies and basesdisplaying the name of each person. The window is currently

undergoing extensive conservation.[18]

Other examples are at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris (1247) and theCathedral of Le Mans (13th century).

Renaissance and classical

Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester, Oxfordshire

The north window in the sanctuary is unique as it combines traceryand sculpture with stained glass in a single theme. It shows the ascentof Christ from Jesse. The tree with five undulating branches carved infoliage rises from the sculptured recumbent form of Jesse. Much ofthe 14th century glass is fragmentary, but still in its original tracery.The figures of Christ and the Virgin and Child with other figures areintact. The glass contains figures from a Tree of Jesse and additionalfigures are carved on stone mullions.

St. Leonard's Church, Leverington, Cambridgeshire

A 15th-century restored Tree of Jesse window in the chapel of the east end of the church. Thirteen of the figuresare original, seventeen are partly restored and thirty-one are modern. The kings are dressed in short doubletswhich are compared with similar figures in the manuscript of 1640 representing the victories of Edward IVwhich is in the British Library Harleian MS. 7353.

Holy Well and St. Dyfnog's Church, Llanrhaeadr, Denbighshire, Wales.

The Tree of Jesse window was made in 1533. The window depicts Jesse asleep in a walled garden, from himsprings a many branched family tree, in which can be seen the ancestor kings of christ. The figures resemble

'court' playing cards, which took their form at about the time the window was made.[19]

Saint-Étienne church, Beauvais, France

A magnificent Renaissance three-light window by Engrand Le Prince (1522–1524), with the royal ancestorsrichly-dressed in fashionable garments, rising from large flower-pods. Jesse has a splendid four-poster bed. Inthe tracery, the central section has the form of a Sacred Heart and contains the Virgin and Christ Child risingfrom a lily and surrounded by radiant light.

Cathedral Notre-Dame, Moulins, Central France

15th - 16th century Tree of Jesse window above Jesse can be seen a king on horseback.

19th and early 20th century

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Monstrance from Augsburg A late 17th-century monstrance from Augsburg incorporates a version of thetraditional design, with Jesse asleep on the base, the tree as the stem, and Christ and twelve ancestors arranged

around the holder for the host.[4]

Cathedral Notre-Dame, Antwerp, Belgium. An embroidered cope depicting the Tree of Jesse.[37]

The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories A large bas-relief of the Tree of Jesse byreligious sculptor Czesław Dźwigaj was incorporated into the Church of St. Catherine within the Church of theNativity in Bethlehem in 2009, as the gift of Pope Benedict XVI during his trip to the Holy Land. Measuring3.25 metres wide by 4 metres high, its focus is an olive tree representing the Tree of Jesse, which displaysChrist's lineage from Abraham to St. Joseph and other biblical motifs. Situated in the passage used by pilgrimsmaking their way to the Grotto of the Nativity, the bas-relief also incorporates symbolism from the OldTestament. The upper portion is dominated by a crowned figure of Christ the King posed with open arms

blessing the Earth.[38]

Modern use of Jesse Tree

The secular Christmas Tree, and the Advent calendar, have been adapted in recent years by some modernChristians, who may use the term "Jesse Tree", although the tree does not usually show Jesse or the Ancestorsof Christ, and so may have little or no relation to the traditional Tree of Jesse. This form is a poster or a real treein the church or home, which over the course of Advent is decorated with symbols to represent stories leadingup to the Christmas story, for the benefit of children. The symbols are simple, for example a burning bush for

Moses and a ram for Isaac.[39]

Gallery

Click on the images to enlarge them.

The beginning of theGospel of Matthew fromthe Fécamp Bible showsthe initial letterdecorated with a JesseTree

Scherenberg Psalter,c.1260. Mary and Child,David and Solomonabove, Isaiah andJeremiah below. Notethe doves in themedallions.

Wall painting c. 1380-90from Toruń in Poland.Unusually, a Crucifixionoccupies the middle ofthe Tree, with Christ inGlory above.

Jan Mostaert, 1500.Dutch, Oil on Panel.

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External links

The Jesse Tree(http://www.osv.com/osv4menav/churchseasons/celebrateadvent/jessetree/tabid/7145/Default.aspx)

Bibliotheque nationale de France Mandragore database (http://mandragore.bnf.fr/jsp/switch.jsp?classement=1&niveauRech=3&idRech=492&idPere=638&division=Mix&desc=arbre.de.jess%E9&idD

esc=1079) 12 illuminated examples at a good size. Press "Images" at right.British Library manuscript image search (http://prodigi.bl.uk/illcat/search2.asp) 10 examples found byputting "Jesse" in "Image description" box. Many famous ones not included, & most enlargements seem

not to workUniversity of Cambridge (http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/mi-sampler) (search on "Tree of Jesse")

4 examples from the Getty (http://search.getty.edu:18765/museum/query.html?col=museum&nh=5&pw=100%25&lk=1&qt=Jesse&Go.x=9&Go.y=5)

Chartres Cathedral; many good images of glass and portal (http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?sid=645ddf2d8512bd77151c63cf1358f7d4&q1=jesse&rgn1=chartres_all&op2=And&q2=&rgn2=cha

rtres_all&type=boolean&view=thumbnail&c=chartres)Various medieval works, including the original Saint Denis window, with many photos showing which

parts are restored (click "France S. Denis")(http://vrcoll.fa.pitt.edu/medart/menucomparative/other/Jessetree.html)

Tree of Jesse Directory (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.low1): approx 300 references to the Tree ofJesse listed.Tree of Jesse (http://dartmouthmuseum.org/collections/jesse-room/index.html) plaster ceiling in Dartmouth

Museum, believed to be a unique example

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Categories: Christian symbols Iconography of illuminated manuscripts Medieval art Christian iconography

Stained glass

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