The Trees of the Cross

“In late medieval Germany, religious art was full of trees, vines, and other plants, symbolizing the strong ties between agrarian and spiritual life. Art historian Gregory C. Bryda surveys these botanically influenced masterpieces in his new book The Trees of the Cross, including works by some of the era’s great masters.”—Peter Saenger, Wall Street Journal

“A rewarding study that is full of new insights.”—Jeremy Warren, Art Newspaper

“Novel, convincing, original, and potent . . . a worthy (even essential) companion to Michael Baxandall’s Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany.”—John Hagood, ARLIS/NA Reviews

2024 PROSE Award finalist, Art History and Criticism category, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers

“Going deeper into history and daily life than scholarship on materiality and ecology ordinarily ventures, Bryda’s argument persuasively demonstrates that late medieval German art is invested with a rhythm of seasons, harvest, and bloom. Elegantly written and packed with new discoveries, this is a book to be imbibed, ingested, and oft consulted.”—Shira Brisman, University of Pennsylvania

“The Trees of the Cross is a truly interdisciplinary study that will resonate beyond art history in the fields of ecology, ethnography, folklore studies, and both economic and agrarian history. Engagingly written, the book provides an important corrective to our broader understanding of the role of nature in late medieval German art.”—Achim Timmermann, University of Michigan