The Tree of Jesse

The Book of Isaiah speaks of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse, and painters turned that line into a family tree. Here it rises from the sleeping Jesse, and its branches hold 12 kings of Judah, the ancestors of Christ, dressed like rich townsmen of around 1500 in turbans, fur and striped hose. At the top the Virgin sits enthroned with the Child among angels. Two prophets stand at the sides, probably Isaiah and Jeremiah.

In a corner kneels a nun in a white habit with a rosary, most likely the woman who paid for the panel. For a time she was gone. Someone painted a brick wall with a wooden gate over her, and restorers later removed it. The Rijksmuseum gives the picture to the circle of Geertgen tot Sint Jans, meaning a painter working close to him in Haarlem.