Paris Nogari (workshop of Cesare Nebbia)
Jesse and David

1587-89
Fresco
Sistine Chapel, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

Jesse is David's father. This is one of a number of father-and-son frescos in the chapel.

The psalterium of the Vulgate psalms is David's attribute. Most images picture it as some sort of harp, but Nogari makes it a Renaissance "psaltery." The attribute he gives Jesse is a small shoot, representing the "root of Jesse" that was believed to refer to Jesus' ancestry (Isaiah 11:10-11, Romans 15:12).

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Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.