Rubens circle, The Judgement of Solomon Seventeenth century Oil on canvas, within contemporary antique frame 106x130 cm The painting offered for sale here depicts the episode of the Judgement of King Solomon, taken from the Book of Kings in the Old Testament (I Kings, 3, 16-28). Known as the ultimate example of wisdom and justice, King Solomon was called into question by two child-bearers to determine who among them held reason. The infant of one of the two women, who lived in the same house, had accidentally died. Therefore, both claimed the maternity of the living infant, accusing each other of having given birth to the other. King Solomon's sense of justice led him to order that the living child be divided into two, so that each of the women could have one half. This order provoked the reaction of one of the two mothers who refused the verdict, begging that the child be given alive and whole to the other, thus saving his life. Thanks to this reaction Solomon understood which of the two was the real mother. The work derives from the painting in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen depicting the 'Judgement of Solomon', made by Rubens and his workshop (Inv. No. KMSsp185). Conservation status: under ultraviolet light the painting shows no trace of restoration. The canvas, which has not been re-lined, has some holes and scattered colour fades.