The Judgment of Solomon

An early Venetian work by Sebastiano Luciani (later known as Sebastiano del Piombo), The Judgment of Solomon depicts the episode from the Book of Kings in which King Solomon, having heard the account of the two mothers, orders that the living child be cut in two and half given to each woman. In the painting, left unfinished, perhaps because of Sebastiano's sudden departure for Rome, the figure of the child is missing; the scene captures the moment when the true mother chooses to surrender her son to the other woman rather than see him killed. Here the action is still unfolding: there is still time to act and to change the course of events, the executioner, with his statuesque beauty and nudity, is beginning to move, his muscles, both in his legs and in his arms, are tense, but the blow has not yet been struck, the mothers continue to speak, while the king, elevated upon the dais, reflects in silence; the magnificent architectural backdrop, constructed according to the most perfect perspective, draws us into the scene, the curtain has risen, and the story unfolds like a grand theatrical performance: we watch in silence. The artwork, which scholars now unanimously attribute to Luciani despite the absence of irrefutable documentary evidence, displays, although unfinished, elements of remarkable plastic and architectural quality, as well as an antiquarian taste (and expertise), together with clear evidence of the artist's adherence to the "modern manner": as also attested by Giorgio Vasari, the young artist's association with Giorgione's workshop was brief but highly significant.