The Judgment of Solomon

Art Historical Context

This engraving captures the dramatic biblical tale of King Solomon’s judgment, in which the wise ruler threatens to divide a living child between two women claiming to be its mother. One woman’s desperate plea reveals her true identity, while the other’s indifference exposes the impostor. Created between 1595 and 1633, the print translates a dynamic composition by Peter Paul Rubens into the precise lines of engraving by Boetius Adams Bolswert, allowing a wide audience to experience the Flemish master’s theatrical storytelling. Rubens, the leading figure of the Northern Baroque, favored emotionally charged scenes filled with movement and expressive figures. Bolswert’s engraving skillfully preserves these qualities through fine cross-hatching and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. The inclusion of dogs and onlookers adds lively detail to the crowded court scene, emphasizing the public nature of Solomon’s wisdom. As a print rather than a painting, this work highlights the important role of reproductive engravings in the seventeenth century. Such prints spread Rubens’s influential designs across Europe, shaping artistic taste and making grand biblical narratives accessible beyond palace walls. Today it resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of drawings and prints, where it continues to illustrate the enduring power of this ancient story.