Hortus Deliciarum, Der Stammbaum Christi

A highly stylized green tree grows from a central figure at the base, branching into circular medallions that frame the heads of biblical kings and prophets. At the top of the central axis sits the Virgin Mary, surmounted by Christ and the Dove of the Holy Spirit. To the lower right, an angel points toward a cluster of red stars, referencing the promise made to Abraham regarding his numerous descendants.

As part of the Hortus Deliciarum, this work represents the medieval encyclopedic tradition where visual diagrams were used to organize sacred history and theological concepts. The 'Arbor' (tree) motif used here as a mnemonic and structural device prefigures the complex symbolic trees used in later Kabbalistic and Hermetic traditions to map cosmic hierarchies.