Tradition of the Elders.

—Haydon, the artist, wishing to make a picture of Christ entering into Jerusalem, had Landseer paint the ass on which Christ rode, but himself painted the Master. But the animal was done so much better that it drew the attention of all to the ass, and away from the Christ. So do we, when we exalt forms, ceremonies, creeds, traditions, above the religion of the heart and the written word of God.

NOTE:

 Haydon’s work is typical of the Regency-era Romantic style, emphasizing dramatic composition and expressive crowd scenes. Remarkably, the painting includes faces of historical and literary figures—such as William Wordsworth, William Hazlitt, John Keats, Isaac Newton, and Voltaire—within the crowd observing Jesus.