The Judgment of Solomon
Medium
Pen and brush and brown ink, brown wash, over black chalk, with traces of corrections in white.
Dimensions
9 1/8 x 12 7/8 in. (23.2 x 32.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.806
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Dutch Golden Age, Constantijn Daniel van Renesse *The Judgment of Solomon* around 1649–50, a masterful drawing capturing the dramatic biblical tale from 1 Kings. Here, the wise King Solomon faces two women disputing motherhood over a living infant, proposing the shocking solution of dividing the child to reveal the true mother's compassion. Van Renesse, a Dutch artist linked to Rembrandt's Amsterdam circle, infuses the scene with tense emotion—figures crowd the composition, their gestures and expressions heightening the moral drama. Executed in pen and brush with brown ink...