The Judgement of Solomon
Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
1617
Painting
The first Book of Kings in the Bible (3:16-28) tells the story of how King Solomon had to pass judgment in a case concerning two prostitutes who lived in the same house and had given birth at the same time. One of the children died shortly afterwards, and now both women claimed the living child as theirs. King Solomon’s wisdom and sense of justice led him to have a sword brought in and to order the living child cloven in two so that the women could share it. This order provoked the desired response in the true mother who gave up her half in the hope of saving the child’s life.
The Judgement of Solomon
Artist: Luca Giordano
1665
Painting
This work is oil on canvas and measures Oil on canvas.250.8 x 308 cm. The Judgement of Solomon is a story from 1 Kings 3:16–28 in the Bible in which Solomon ruled between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a child. Solomon ordered the baby be cut in half, with each woman to receive one half. The first woman accepted the compromise as fair, but the second begged Solomon to give the baby to her rival, preferring the baby to live, even without her. Solomon ordered the baby given to the second woman, as her love was selfless, as opposed to the first woman's selfish disregard for the baby's actual well-being. Some consider this approach to justice an archetypal example of an impartial judge displaying wisdom in making a ruling.
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