Drzewo Życia w sztuce średniowiecznej

There is hardly a more universal motif in the world of nature than the tree. Its symbolism is so versatile that it was so eagerly used to picture various contents connected with the heritage of beliefs formerly taken over by Christianity. In medieval art we find such themes as: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, the Tree of Life, Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand on the Mountains of Ararat, (sacred and secular) Genealogical Trees, the Trees of Virtues and Vices. Of the remaining themes the most important is the appearance of Mary within the context of the symbolism of tree and forest − the New Paradise. The Tree of Life appeared to be most abundant in various symbolical connotations. It functions in antithesis, wherein it is put side by side with the Tree of Knowledge, symbolizing sin and death, and announcing redemption and new life. It also functions as an independent motif, the symbol of eternal life, it hides the utopian yearning for salvation and is linked with the cross, the latter being the Tree of the New Paradise. Thus various variants of the Tree of Life have been discussed here, all of them pertaining to idea and form. They show oriental reminiscences under the form of antithetic animals and birds. This time the symbols are not the guardians of trees, but winners eating the fruits of salvation. The role of lignum vitae in tympana has been stressed here, the significance of Peridexion, a symbol of shelter in a monastery from the earthly world. The so-called Madonnas from the Vine in Mainz are the only in their kind example of manifesting the role of Mary in the work of salvation. The Tree of Life often appears under the form of the so-called branch-like cross, one of its forms being the forked crucifix, a crucifix most infused with mystical contents. The Tree-Cross (arbor crucis) is the form closest to the world of nature, not infrequently with leaves, flowers and fruits, often imagined in its version inspired by the 13th-century Franciscan treatise Lignum vitae written by St. Bonaventure. Another theme is the relationship between the Tree of Life from the Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand, where it is underlined, in terms of its formal content, the relationship between Crucifixion and the death of soldiers from the Mountain of Ararat, also in the context of the Hussite wars. The Tree of Life becomes an illustration of some legends, e.g. the legend about Set with its vision of a cosmic tree reaching from heaven to the infernal abyss, and a hope for salvation brought by the Child. The Syrian legend about Barlaam and Josaphat is a moralizing and secular metaphor of human life and the passing of this world, illustrated also by the Tree of Fortune (the Batalistic Tree). Another secular plot, now fully humanistic, is an illustration of the stages of human life, or the link between lignum vitae and the genealogical schemes.