The Judgement of Solomon
Plaquette
1504-7 (made)
1504-7 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plaquettes are small plaques made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector’s pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings. This delicate and unusually shaped plaquette originally formed part of an oil lamp, perhaps for the desk of a scholar. The subject was symbolic of Justice. It shows the Old Testament king, Solomon, deciding which of the two women was the mother of the child.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Judgement of Solomon (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Plaquette, bronze, the Judgement of Salomon, possibly by Moderno, North Italy, ca. 1504-7 |
| Physical description | Solomon is seated on a high throne, to the left a soldier in armour preparing to cut the living child in half, to the right the true mother rushing forward. Soldiers and women in the back. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
| Historical context | The plaquette is for a lamp lid. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Plaquettes are small plaques made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector’s pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to bookbindings. This delicate and unusually shaped plaquette originally formed part of an oil lamp, perhaps for the desk of a scholar. The subject was symbolic of Justice. It shows the Old Testament king, Solomon, deciding which of the two women was the mother of the child. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.432-1910 |
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| Record created | May 10, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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