This book is the first detailed investigation to focus on the late medieval use of Tree of Jesse imagery, traditionally a representation of the genealogical tree of Christ. In northern Europe, from the mid-fifteenth to the early sixteenth centuries, it could be found across a wide range of media. Yet, as this book vividly illustrates, it had evolved beyond a simple genealogy into something more complex, which could be modified to satisfy specific religious requirements. It was also able to function on a more temporal level, reflecting not only a clerical preoccupation with a sense of communal identity, but a more general interest in displaying a family's heritage, continuity and/or social status. It is this dynamic and polyvalent element that makes the subject so fascinating.

About the Author

Susan L. Green is an associate lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art and visiting lecturer at the New College of the Humanities, London.

Reviews

"...Very successful ... the book materialises as a generously illustrated, well-researched monograph with a solid and varied bibliography and five useful and informative appendices."

--Nordic Review of Iconography

"...Her book is praiseworthy for closely examining iconographical motifs and recognize their interpretive flexibility, depending on context. Green's case studies thoughtfully consider how Tree of Jesse imagery functions within each particular cultural setting."

--Historians of Netherlandish Art

"Green's is undoubtedly an important contribution to the study of the Tree of Jesse in medieval visual culture, which will be of interest to any reader interested in the religiosity of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries."

--Eikon Imago

Book Information
ISBN 9780367664732
Author Susan L. Green
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g