The Judgment of Solomon c. 1465

Israhel van Meckenem created this engraving, "The Judgment of Solomon," in the late fifteenth century. Here, we see the biblical King Solomon rendering his famous judgement. He suggests dividing a baby between two women, each claiming to be the child's mother, in order to reveal the true mother through her reaction. Meckenem was a prolific printmaker in Germany at a time when the technology was relatively new. Prints such as this one played an important role in the dissemination of images and ideas across Europe. This is not simply a religious picture. Note the architecture, clothing and people's faces. These all point to the concerns and realities of Meckenem’s contemporary Germany. The artist presents Solomon as a contemporary European ruler. The popularity of this scene speaks to the role of the wise ruler in society. To understand this image better we might look at books of biblical history, the artist’s other works, and also the history of legal institutions in fifteenth-century Europe. In this way we can understand the place of art within social and institutional contexts.