He spreads his arms wide over the crowd.
Bible in art · Matthew
Jerusalem Jerusalem (Jérusalem Jérusalem)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Seen from behind, Jesus stands in a Temple court with his arms spread wide and speaks to a great crowd sitting on the paving before him. Beyond them rise striped walls, arcades and the roofs of the city.
The listeners sit close together, many with their chins in their hands. Tissot made Jesus’ white mantle the brightest thing in the scene.
From the text
- “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her” (Matthew 23:37)
- “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 23:37)
The artist’s own
- Jesus seen from behind, facing the crowd
- The city rising beyond the Temple court
Details
Jesus
The listeners
People sit packed together on the paving.
The city
Houses and walls of Jerusalem beyond the arcades.
In the foreground
Men seen from behind, listening.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.210) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".