The "Jesse Tree" is a medieval image type based on two lines from Isaiah 11: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root" (verse 1) and "In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious" (verse 10). These were taken as prophecies of the Christ, and the "Jesse Tree" traces the lineage from Jesse to David and then on to Jesus following the genealogy in Matthew 1: 1-16 (cached).
The proportions of stained-glass windows make them ideal for Jesse Trees like the one at right (see full window). But abbreviated versions can be found even in the confines of a stone frieze at Notre Dame de la Grande.
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