Italian Or Flemish School, 17th Century – Judgment Of Solomon – Oil On Panel

Oil on wooden panel
17th century, circa 1630–1670
Panel dimensions: 39.5 × 30.4 cm
Framed dimensions: 52 × 44 cm

This fine 17th-century painting depicts a biblical judgment scene, most likely inspired by the episode of The Judgment of Solomon (First Book of Kings, 3:16–28). The composition centers on a sovereign figure seated on a monumental throne, surrounded by advisers, facing a group of pleading women caught in a moment of intense moral and emotional tension.

The artist deliberately chooses a psychological and narrative interpretation of the subject, focusing on the moment of discernment rather than on explicit violence. This refined approach was particularly appreciated in Baroque painting, allowing for a sophisticated exploration of justice, wisdom, and human emotion.

Several elements support the identification as The Judgment of Solomon:

• Authoritative gesture of the central figure, identifiable as King Solomon

• Expressive and contrasting attitudes of the female figures

• Judicial setting emphasized by monumental classical architecture

• Strong dramatic tension conveying wisdom and moral judgment rather than action

• Carefully structured composition with successive planes

• Classical architectural backdrop with arcades opening onto a luminous sky

• Visual dialogue between the stillness of authority and the emotional movement of the supplicants

• Balanced interplay between monumentality and expressiveness

• Dominant tones of deep blues, carmine reds, warm ochres, and golden browns

• Controlled use of chiaroscuro to enhance faces and gestures

• Soft, fluid treatment of draperies

• Harmonious and sophisticated chromatic balance characteristic of Baroque painting

• Oil on wooden panel, a support still widely used in the 17th century for cabinet paintings

• Fine ground and well-preserved paint layer

• Natural craquelure and aged patina consistent with the period

• Mounted in a carved and gilded wooden frame, probably 18th century

On stylistic grounds, this painting may be attributed to:

• a Northern Italian School (Venetian or Emilian influence), or

• a Flemish Italianate School, active in the mid-17th century

The narrative clarity, classical architecture, and rich palette suggest the work of a painter trained in the Baroque tradition, producing refined cabinet paintings for a cultivated clientele.

Possible attribution: circle of a Baroque Italian or Flemish master, circa 1630–1670.

The Judgment of Solomon was one of the great moral themes of European Baroque painting, offering artists the opportunity to explore divine wisdom, righteous authority, and the expression of human passions. This work fully belongs to that tradition, at the crossroads of Italian and Flemish artistic exchanges.

Good overall condition for a 17th-century painting.
Original craquelure and age-related wear visible, without compromising readability.
The frame shows losses and restorations consistent with its age.

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