The Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

CultureItalian (Ferrarese)
Titles
  • The Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Datec. 1470–1473
Probable placeFerrara, Italy
MediumTempera and gold leaf on panel
DimensionsPanel: 36 3/8 in. diameter (92.3 cm)
Frame: 36 7/16 diameter × 2 1/2 in. (92.6 × 6.4 cm)
Credit LineThe Edith A. and Percy S. Straus Collection
Object number44.574
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
202 Willis Education Gallery
Exposé

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Object Type
Description

The biblical story about the Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon was a popular Renaissance subject for commemorating weddings and births. In this tondo (round painting), the artist transplanted the scene from ancient Jerusalem to an Italian palace much like the one in the northern Italian town of Ferrara where he worked. He also depicted Solomon's splendid guests and attendants according to the artistic tastes and social customs of the powerful Este family, which ruled Ferrara in the 15th century.


The extensive use of gold leaf and patterned color recall earlier styles, and at the same time the fresh, brilliant colors, complex design, and charming details typify Ferrarese painting of the period. The artist used the new system of linear perspective to make the buildings and figures appear to recede in space. The underlying lines of the composition meet at the chalice at the very center of the painting.


ProvenancePrincipe Michele di Demetrio Boutourlin, Conte Russo, Florence; Edmond Foulc Collection, Paris, by 1894 to 1916; [J. Wildenstein, Paris-New York, 1916-1927]; Duval-Foulc Collection, Paris, 1916-1927; [Wildenstein and Company, New York]; sold to Percy S. Straus, March 31, 1930; bequeathed to MFAH, November 1944.
Exhibition History"Diamond Jubilee Celebration, 1875-1876," Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1950–51.

"Decorative Arts of the Italian Renaissance, 1400-1600," Detroit Institute of Arts, 1958.

Temple Emanuel, Houston, January 25–February 9, 1964.

"Festival Dei Due Mondi," Sakowitz Department Store, Houston, October 1–October 14, 1972.

Marco Grassi, September 17, 1973.

“Masterpieces of European Painting from the 15th to 20th Centuries from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation," The Museum of Art, Ehime, Matsuyama, Japan, April 13–May 30, 1999; Chiba Prefectural Art Museum, Japan, June 5–July 11,1999; Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Tsu, Japan, July 17–August 22, 1999; Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, August 27–October 3, 1999.

"Art in Ferrara at the time of Borso d'Este," Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, Italy, September 23, 2007–January 6, 2008.

"Love and Marriage in Italian Rennaissance Art," Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 10, 2008–February 15, 2009; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, March 15–June 14, 2009.

"Passion for Perfection: The Straus Collection of Renaissance Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 21, 2017–June 17, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
A double escutcheon inscribed in a wreath of leaves and flowers attached with ribbons.
View this object in The Straus Collection

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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