Tree of Jesse
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The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a genealogy.
Miniature, Jacques de Besançon, Paris, c.1485. Showing 43 generations. Below, the birth and childhood of Mary
A 17th-century oak carving of the Tree of Jesse from St Andrews Castle, Royal Scottish Museum
(Painter related to) Geertgen tot Sint Jans, c. 1500, oil on panel
A typical Jesse Tree of the Late Medieval period, detail of the Spinola Hours of Ludwig by the Master of James IV of Scotland, (1510-20)
Jesse (biblical figure)
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Jesse or Yishai is a figure described in the Hebrew Bible as the father of David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse". The role as both father of King David and ancestor of Jesus has been used in various depictions in art, e.g. as the Tree of Jesse or in hymns like "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming."
Detail of Jesse from the stained glass window of All Saints Church, Hove, Sussex, England.
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Tomb of Jesse and Ruth in Hebron.