Raphael Sanzio d'Urbino (1483-1520) (after)
Nicolas François Bocquet (d. 1716) (print artist and engraver)
The Judgment of Solomon
Rome: 1690
Copperplate engraving
12 x 10.5 inches
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The Judgment of Solomon
After Raphael, 1690
After Raphael, 1690
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 (see Reference below). 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 is generally considered one of the three 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. Prints made after Raphael’s drawings, designs and paintings were produced during his lifetime by the engraver Marcantonio Raimondi (c.1470-1482 - c. 1527-1534). Other engravers followed, and Raphael prints were especially popular in the neoclassical period of the late 18th and early 19th century coinciding with the tremendous revival of interest in the classical art of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the classicism of the Renaissance. Some of these prints served as references for architects and designers since many were based on frescoes that had been incorporated into interior architecture. This interest in Raphael, often reflected in prints, continued throughout the 19th century as he achieved legendary status, and remained strong at the turn of the 20th century. Among the more famous Raphael prints are series from the late 18th century illustrating his frescoes in four Vatican stanze (rooms), the Vatican loggia (most notably Loggia di Rafaele nel Vaticano, Rome: 1772-77) and the Villa Farnesina in Rome. One popular set variously issued as engravings and lithographs in the 19th century shows details of Raphael’s allegorical frescoes of 12 of hours of the day and night, and a set of engravings also popular in the 19th century depicts the gods and goddesses of the Roman pantheon riding in chariots in their heavenly domain.
Nicolas François Bocquet was a French artist active from 1691 to 1703.
Reference:
"Raphael. The Judgment of Solomon (ceiling panel)." Olga's Gallery. http://www.abcgallery.com/R/raphael/raphael66.html (6 February 2009)