The Judgment of Solomon
after Raphael, 1690
after Raphael, 1690
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Raphael Sanzio d'Urbino (1483-1520) (after)
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Depiction of one of the best-known Bible stories demonstrating the wisdom and cleverness of King Solomon, after a fresco ceiling panel by Raphael in the Stanza della Segnatura at the Vatican in Rome (1509-1511). The original painting can be viewed online. The story is told in I Kings 3:16-28. Two women came to his court in a dispute over a baby they each claimed to be their own. Solomon called for a sword and ordered that the baby be split in half. One woman agreed, but the other begged the King to spare the baby and give it to the other woman. Solomon declared that this proved without a doubt that the second woman was the real mother.
Raphael was generally considered one of the greatest artists of the Italian High Renaissance and an accomplished architect as well. As chief archeologist to the Pope, he was involved in the excavation of the ancient Golden House of Nero, and adapted many of the elaborate Roman frescoes he saw there in creating his own innovative painted wall and ceiling designs in the Vatican and private villas in Rome. Nicolas François Bocquet was a French artist active from 1691 to 1703. Condition: Generally very good with the usual light toning, wear, soiling, soft creases. Margins trimmed close but present, with few tiny tears, creases at edges. |