In the bible, Jacob falls asleep under the open sky. In a dream, he sees a ladder which reaches to the heavens and on which God's angels ascend en descend. In this piece, twelve feet climb the ladder carrying precious stones. In Bach's cantata BWV 180 'Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele' ('Adorn yourself, O beloved soul') the soul is urged to adorn itself with intangible riches. All else is material and ephemeral, only love is everlasting.
