Jan Mostaert - "The Tree of Jesse" - 1485 - Oil on panel
Out of the old man's abdomen grows a strange tree. Sitting on the branches, which seem to reach up to heaven, are colourfully clothed men. At the top of the tree, the very crown, is the Virgin Mary with her child on her lap and surrounded by angels. The old man is Jesse, ancestor of the royal house which traditionally produced the likes of Solomon, David and Christ. Sitting on the branches of the tree are Jesse's descendants. Artists usually depicted the Jesse tree schematically: a trunk with branches depicting the ancestors of Jesus. Jan Mostaert's approach was different. He turned Jesus' family tree into a real tree, in a monastic garden.
Now Lapin tells me. Better late than never.
That can't be comfortable.
Click on the picture for the larger view.
From the RijksMuseum.
