The Single Lancet Jesse Tree Window in France: Reading a Jesse Tree Window, Part B

     The spectacular French Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady, Amiens, Picardy, France was started about 1220, a rebuilding project because of destruction of earlier cathedrals by fire.  The oldest stained glass at Amiens is dated to about 1250 or 1260 with subsequent restorations in the 19th and 20th century.   The cathedral of Amiens was damaged during the Wars of Religions, as well as,  from bombs and missiles during World War I.  The Jesse Tree window is in the choir of the church (Cowen window # 14). The Amiens Jesse window is notable for its use of blue.  Of the 17 main divisions within the window, nine date from the 13th century or are substantially from the 13th century.  The Jesse figure at the bottom is a replacement. Eight of the kings are originals including David and Solomon.  At the top of the window, only the figure of the Virgin Mary is original glass (Painton Cowen).

Note that Jesse window is to the left of this picture.

Photo credit for all pictures:  Painton Cowen

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Whole Jesse Tree window.  Details below. 

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Generic King of Judah holding a scepter.

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Generic King of Judah with left hand holding to Jesse Tree vine

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Generic King of Judah playing a vielle.  This is the panel above King Solomon.

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King Solomon above King David.  Solomon is holding a scepter. He appears to be virtually identical of the other kings holding scepters.

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King David playing seven string lyre with what appears to be a bow.  Lyres were instruments from the Byzantine Empire that were probably introduced to France as a result of the Crusades. 

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     The Jesse Tree window at Amiens is tall, though the window at St. Chapelle may be taller.  In addition to Jesse, Kings David and Solomon, Virgin May and Jesus Christ in majesty, there were eleven kings of Judah portrayed.  All are posed frontally.  Many of the prophets hold banderoles but there are no identifying names.

    

     After a fire in 1188 destroyed the Romanesque Cathedral of  St. Peter and St. Paul in Troyes, Champagne, France, a new cathedral was started about 1208.  The first part of the cathedral to be built in the new Gothic style was the choir.  It is in the choir, that the Jesse Tree window resides.  The stained glass windows in the choir date from about 1220, older than the Jesse Tree at Amiens.  Like Amiens, it is a substantially blue window. In the 21st century, about half the window is original glass and about half is 19th century replacement glass.  Again the figures are frontally posed. In the Troyes' Jesse Window, King David plays the vielle, an acknowledgement of his authorship of the Psalms.  The King Solomon above David is writing in a book. (French art historians identify the rectangular object in Solomon's hands as a cithar, a form of lyre.  Both would succeed as symbols for Solomon, either as a author of wisdom literature or as the writer of the Song of Solomon). Much of the Jesse Tree is a grape vine with many clusters of grapes, especially appropriate for Champagne, France.  Another interesting design feature of the genealogy of Jesus in the Troyes window is the lack of prophets or other Old Testament references except for the kings. (More about this when I write about Troyes Cathedral.)

The whole Jesse Tree, 13th and 19th century at Troyes, Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Photo Credit for all photos: Painton Cowen

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 Virgin Mary, seated and holding a lily in her right hand.

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King Solomon writing in a book.

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King David playing a waisted vielle.

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