Bay 3 - The 'New Alliance'

Panel 12 - King David / Pelican feeding its young

Description:
Not a narrative scene but a combination of two iconic signifiers.

Christ's descent from King David was a commonplace both in the depictions of the Tree of Jesse and in the Biblical texts. The plea "Son of David have pity upon me/us" or minor variants thereof occur frequently in the Gospels (e.g. Matthew 15:22, 20:30, 20:31, Mark 10:47, 10:48, Luke 18:39, etc.)

The pelican pecking at its chest was a common symbol of Christ (often shown at the top of a crucifix) due to the popular belief that the bird fed it's young on its own blood. It therefore referred to the nourishing/salvific function of the Eucharist.

Note:

Tituli:
(1 - centre); Scroll reading "DAVID : REX"
(2 - lower); "PELICAN"

Restoration notes:

Details: