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Wide wooden carving of reclining man with men on either side

This carving features a white-robed central man reclining on his side with eyes closed. The man leans his head on his left hand. Surrounding the man on either side are vine-like swirls. On the right edge of the carving is a man, visible from the waist up, with a curly beard, wide tabbed collar, red shirt with voluminous sleeves, and wide hat. On the left side of the carving is a man in a red robe and hat who appears to be kneeling. He holds onto a vine and leans backwards. Traces of paint are visible all over the carving.

Gallery Text

Carved out of a single piece of oak, this sculpture probably filled the predella, or platform, of a carved altarpiece. The Tree of Jesse expresses in visual form the prophecy of Isaiah and the genealogy of Christ as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesse was the father of King David and an ancestor of Christ. His lineage links the New Testament to the Old, and is therefore significant in Christian theology. The trunk of a tree once sprouted from Jesse’s chest, connecting him to the royal ancestors of Christ depicted on either side of the carving: on the left, King David, and on the right, King Solomon. The use of this iconography might be connected to a late medieval interest in the secular genealogies of royalty, as promoted by the northern European aristocracy. Similarly, the naturalistic style and medieval dress of the figures reflect an impulse to connect biblical stories to contemporary life.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
BR57.125
People
Circle of Heinrich Douvermann, German (c. 1480 - c. 1530)
Title
Jesse Tree
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
c. 1520-c. 1530
Culture
German
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/223161

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2500, European Art, 13th–16th century, Art and Image in Europe
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Polychromed oak with traces of gilding
Technique
Painted
Dimensions
24 x 129.5 x 15 cm (9 7/16 x 51 x 5 7/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: verso, right side, graphite or blue crayon/chalk: 07 [?]
  • inscription: verso, right side, red crayon or chalk: 4420 [upside down]
  • inscription: verso, right side, graphite: 4420 [upside down]
  • label: verso, center: [white square label stamped with a circular blue line design and crisscrossed by small circular perforations which form an 'x' shape; possibly a custom’s stamp, maybe Swiss?]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Franz Mela, Frankfurt]. [Blumka Gallery, New York, 1957, sold]; to Busch-Reisinger Museum in memory of Eda K. Loeb.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb
Accession Year
1957
Object Number
BR57.125
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Back slightly hollowed out; carved from a single piece of oak.

Publication History

  • Charles L. Kuhn, German and Netherlandish Sculpture, 1280-1800, the Harvard Collections, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA, 1965), p. 20, cat. no. 32 pp. 77-79, repr. as pl. XXXI
  • Anneliese Harding, German Sculpture in New England Museums, Goethe Institute (Boston, MA, 1972), p. 14, repr. p. 37 as fig. 45
  • Anita F. Moskowitz, Gothic Sculpture in America, I: The New England Museums, ed. Dorothy W. Gillerman, Garland Publishing, Inc. (New York, 1989), no. 164 p. 203, repr.
  • Gegen den Strom: Meisterwerke niederrheinischer Skulptur in Zeiten der Reformation, 1500-1550, exh. cat., D. Reimer (Berlin, 1996), no. 49

Exhibition History

  • Gegen den Strom: Meisterwerke niederrheinischer Skulptur in Zeiten der Reformation, 1500-1550, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, 12/12/1996 - 03/03/1997
  • Ancient to Modern, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/31/2012 - 06/01/2013
  • 32Q: 2500 Renaissance, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu