Verona, San Zeno, bronze doors, first six panels of the Infancy and Public Life of Jesus
Verona, San Zeno, bronze doors, first six panels of the Infancy and Public Life of Jesus
The top two rows of scenes on the left door are the first six of seventeen scenes devoted to the life of Jesus on that door. These panels – and all but one in this cycle of Jesus’ life – are attributed to the earlier artist of the bronze doors who worked in the early twelfth century. In the top row, from left to right, the scenes are: the Annunciation (with a tower symbolizing Mary’s virginity); the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi (all in a single panel); and the Flight into Egypt with Joseph leading the mule that carries Mary and the Christ Child. The narrative sequence is less evident in the second row. From left to right, the scenes are: Jesus expelling the moneychangers from the Temple; the Baptism of Jesus and Jesus with the woman accused of adultery in a single panel; and Jesus teaching. In the scene of Jesus with the woman accused of adultery, the Jews are identified by characteristic conical caps, and the story is vividly told as the two accusers on the left – still holding stones to stone the woman – walk away in response to Jesus’ command, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8: 7).” With the exception of the Baptism, the scenes in this row are relatively unusual in monumental art: that of Jesus teaching is sometimes referred to as Jesus among the doctors in the Temple of Jerusalem, the story of Jesus’ childhood told in Luke 2: 41-51. This could also be a scene of the adult Jesus teaching in the Temple and disputing with the Pharisees, as told in John 8: 12-20, just after the story of Jesus and the woman accused of adultery.
D'Emilio photo archive no. s19772901_978u (13.05.31/JD)Galleries:Annunciation, Annunciation to the Shepherds and Adoration of Jesus, Baptism of Jesus, Bronze doors, Dogs, Doors, Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple, Flight into Egypt, Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery, Jesus Teaching, Journey and Adoration of the Magi, Mules and Donkeys, Representations of towers, San Zeno Maggiore, Verona, St. John baptizing Jesus, The Holy Spirit as a doveKeywords:shepherds, towerPhoto Location: Verona, ItalyPhotographer: Dr. James D’EmilioDate of Photo:Device Make: NikonDevice Model: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 5000 EDOriginal Dimensions: 5302×3490Picture Orientation: LandscapeGPS Coordinates:Picture Number: 22845
WARNING: You are about to download a 44.4 MB TIFF!
Normally such a large file is only needed for high quality printing purposes. If you are certain that you need such a large file, click the DOWNLOAD button to begin.
If you do not wish to download the large TIFF, just click the × in the top right-hand corner to close this alert.
