The Tree of Jesse and the Passion content in the setting of the Altar of the Holy Cross in the post-Dominican church in Klimontów

Abstract

The article presents issues concerning the interpretation of the prophecy of Isaiah (11, 1-3) in the works of religious art. One of these works is the altar in the post-Dominican church in Klimontów near Sandomierz. The town belonged to the Ossoliński family from the 15th century. In the first half of the 17th century, a Dominican church and monastery were built in Klimontów. In the altar, made around mid-17th century, there is a carved and gilded wood of Jesse. The image of the Tree of Jesse surrounds the main part of the altar. It presents the content of the passions (from the top: the Veil of St Veronica, Judgment on Jesus, crucifix). The author of the article discusses the meaning of individual parts of the altar. He emphasizes that the content of the Virgin Mary – which appears in other representations of the Tree of Jesse – has not been shown in it. In the altar the following idea was realized: announcement – fulfilment (an event from the New Testament is the fulfilment of what was announced in the Old Testament). In this case, the Tree of Jesse (the genealogy of Christ) foreshadows a Saviour from the lineage of David. He is the king who triumphs from the cross.