Wrapped in white, he holds his mantle close.
Bible in art · Matthew
Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple (Jésus porté sur le pinacle du Temple)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Jesus stands wrapped in a white mantle on top of a pillar high above the Temple courts, his bare feet on the narrow ledge. Below spread domes, colonnades and grey courtyards, with the walls of Jerusalem behind.
Over him leans a great dark shape with bat-like wings, so thinly painted that the buildings show through it. Tissot left its face half lost in shadow.
From the text
- The devil sets Him “on the pinnacle of the temple” (Matthew 4:5)
- “throw Yourself down” (Matthew 4:6)
The artist’s own
- The devil as a see-through winged shadow
- A bird’s-eye view of the Temple buildings
Details
Jesus
On the edge
Bare feet on the very top of the pillar.
The dark wings
Thin dark wings spread over him like a veil.
The courts below
Domes, colonnades and paved courts far beneath.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.52) · 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".