King Solomon Receiving the Queen of Sheba Oil on Canvas (18-19th Century)
Our oil on canvas depicting King Solomon receiving the Queen of Sheba is believed to date from the 18th to 19th century and resides in a later frame dating from the early/mid 20th century with nameplate that reads PIETER VAN DEN AVONT, after the Flemish painter active in the second quarter of the 17th century. Apparently unsigned. Stretcher measures 19 3/4 by 28 3/4 inches and the frame 25 1/4 by 34 1/4. It has a very old varnished surface with considerable craquelure and apparent signs of inpainting. It's keyed stretcher indicates the painting dates from no earlier than that mid 18th century.
This popular subject was painted by other European masters. The earliest known example we are aware of was painted by Paolo Caliari, aka Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), the Venetian artist known for his extremely large history paintings.
On February 18, 2020, Freeman's of Philadelphia sold a fine painting of the same scene in oil on panel, 21 1/4 by 29 1/2 inches, attributed to the Studio of Frans Francken the Younger (Flemish, 1581–1642), in lot seven for $6,000. In this sale it was noted a similar composition resides in the collection of the Roger Quillot Art Museum in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The auction house acknowleded the assistance of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, also known as R.K.D, for their kind assistance in cataloguing the lot.
Based on our knowlege and image of this lot sold by Freeman's, it's clear our painting is a copy of the original composition by Franken, not van Avont. Avont is mostly known for his depiction of cherubs in a variety of allegorical scenes.
