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Jesse
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Jesse

Veit Stoss (German, c. 1445–1533), sculptor · c. 1500 · Limewood, polychromed

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

The figure shows the sleeping Jesse, the father of David from the Old Testament. As the ancestor of the family tree of Christ, he was depicted in the Middle Ages sleeping as the starting point of the tree, on whose branches the ancestors of Christ are depicted. Mary with the Christ child is always shown at the top. The figure comes from a wooden altarpiece from an unknown church, possibly in Nuremberg, which is now lost. Veit Stoss is one of the most prominent German sculptors around 1500 who was mainly active in Nuremberg (Bavaria, Germany) and Krakow (Poland), also as a painter and engraver.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineJesse, c. 1500. Veit Stoss (German, c. 1445–1533). Limewood, polychromed; overall: 38.5 x 98 x 26.5 cm (15 3/16 x 38 9/16 x 10 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2023.156
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