Lambert Sustris, 'The Queen of Sheba before King Solomon', about 1540-55

The Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon appears in Jewish, Christian, Islamic and other religious and national narratives. Solomon, King of Israel, was known for his great wisdom. The Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem from South Arabia to test Solomon’s wisdom for herself (1 Kings 10: 1–13). She was accompanied by a great retinue bearing spices, gold and precious stones.

She kneels in reverence before King Solomon who is seated on his throne beneath a red and gold canopy. Two ladies hold the Queen’s cloak while others present golden jars and bowls of spices brought as gifts from the east. The movement of the figures in the painting is from right to left rather than the more common left to right. The scene is also lit from the right, which is again unusual. This suggests that the painting was made to be displayed in a place where the actual light came from this direction.

The paint has become translucent over time. The figures were painted on top of the architecture and so now the lines of the steps and paving show through them. Because of this, it is difficult to make out what is happening in some parts of the picture, particularly the Queen’s retinue.

The painting’s long narrow shape means it was probably made to decorate a piece of furniture. It may have been one of a series of paintings for an organ case. In Venice during the sixteenth century organ case paintings were often of this shape and size and usually depicted subjects from the Old Testament. The Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon was frequently paired with the Adoration of the Kings or Esther before Ahasuerus and was a popular choice for bedroom furniture.

Sustris probably painted this picture in Venice although it is difficult to date his works with certainty. The architecture is of a classical design seen in the work of Baldassare Peruzzi and his pupil Sebastiano Serlio. Sustris may have already studied Peruzzi’s work in Rome before he came to Venice. The veined marble column shafts and several of the architectural elements in Sustris’s picture are also included in Titian’s very much larger painting, The Presentation of the Virgin (Accademia, Venice). Sustris was Titian’s pupil and may have painted the landscape in Titian’s picture.