Claude, 'Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba', 1648

Claude was a prolific painter of seascapes, and this is one of three imaginary seaports owned by the National Gallery. The subject of this painting is identifiable only by the artist’s inscription, barely visible on the stone step to the right. According to the Old Testament, the Queen of Sheba went to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem (1 Kings 10: 1–2). Crowned and dressed in red, the Queen is descending the steps on the right. The meeting was often painted, but it was unusual to depict the Queen’s embarkation. In the Bible, she travels across the desert by camel, but Claude sends her by sea.

The scene is bathed in the soft warm light of sunrise, capturing the gentle ripples of the water, undersides of the clouds and foliage, and silhouettes of the boats. There is hurried activity involving groups of figures: in the foreground two men carry a chest, while other figures prepare to row the Queen and her companions towards the larger ships used for the voyage. The classical buildings inspired by Claude’s time in Rome create a symmetrical and balanced scene. Columns support a balcony decorated with sculptures, from which figures watch the scene below. The bystanders on the bridge behind are conveyed through single dots of paint. The variety of the shells scattered along the bottom of the painting reflects Claude’s attention to the most intricate details.

This painting was inspired by several earlier Claudes: the composition is shown in reverse in Embarkation of Saint Ursula, also owned by the National Gallery, and Seaport with Ulysses restoring Chrysalis to her Father (Louvre, Paris). Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba and its pair, Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca, were painted in 1648 for the Duc de Bouillon (1605–1652), a French general in the Papal army. The patron’s name is inscribed on the last stone step in the bottom right corner, suggesting his interest in this story. He may have meant a connection to be made between King Solomon in Jerusalem and his ancestor, Godefroy de Bouillon (1060–1100), briefly the ruler of Jerusalem at the end of the eleventh century. Although commonly found in Claude’s paintings, the round tower included in both paintings was the principal emblem of the Duc de Bouillon, whose family name was De la Tour d’Auvergne (the Tower of Auvergne). A shield with a coat of arms is attached to the top of the tower, although it is hard to see the details. The Bouillon coat of arms was inscribed with words from the Song of Solomon, which further connects the duke with Solomon.

These paintings were among the first to be bought for the National Gallery in 1824, from the prestigious collection of John Julius Angerstein (1735–1823). Claude’s work was highly regarded by later artists: J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) bequeathed his two paintings Sun rising through the Vapour and Dido building Carthage to the Gallery on the condition they hung next to Claude’s two paintings in perpetuity.