The Tree and the Column examines the bronze door of Hildesheim Cathedral, which is not only a masterpiece of Ottonian art but is among the most recognizable and studied works of medieval sculpture. Commissioned by Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim and cast around 1015, the door's two leaves feature the oldest-known monumental image cycle in German sculpture, depicting significant events from the Old and New Testaments. Isabelle Marchesin closely reads each of the door's sixteen panels, analyzing the detailed iconography to excavate the elaborate theological and deeply spiritual significance of the biblical scenes cast into metal.

Studying the door's technical, material, political, and theological dimensions, Marchesin argues that Bernward intended the cathedral door to be read and reread like scripture so that unifying messages about God's presence in the world could be understood. Featuring nearly two hundred detailed color photographs of the panels that reveal their remarkable artistry and materiality, The Tree and the Column offers an innovative explication of a total work of medieval art.