Brussels (Netherlands), c. 335 x 311 cm, about 1550, silk and wool, very early woven pictorial carpet with a scene from the Bible, “King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba”. According to the biblical account, the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, the wise and just king of Jerusalem, in order to discover the weaknesses of this kingdom; the stability of the kingdom is shaken when the king gives her permission to celebrate a pagan feast on the sacred Jewish mountain: the enraged God sends lightning, also destroying the temple in Jerusalem; Solomon’s brother and the Egyptian Pharaoh march against Solomon, despite the Egyptians’ superiority Solomon wins the battle with the help of the Queen of Sheba. (A comparable piece is preserved at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna as part of the Solomon series of ten tapestries, inv. no. KKTLXXVII4), the present hanging depicting the aforementioned scene is especially striking on the grounds of its magnificent 16th-century border frame, also noteworthy is the fact that the current owner has only preserved, but never excessively restored, the carpet, mounted on high quality, heavy linen with textile passepartout, the present piece has only been cleaned and any defects have been left as they were at the moment of purchase. (MA)

Lit.: Tapisserien, Wandteppiche aus den staatlichen Schlössern BadenWürttembergs, ill.: 2e, page 45;