Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari (1598-1669),, Meeting between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

119 x 155,5 cm
Oil on canvas
Expert opinion from Dr. Alesandro Delpriori

The canvas represents the meeting of a woman, elegantly dressed with a crown on her head, and a man wearing a turban and a gold chain around his neck, which identifies him as noble and perhaps sovereign. It is, in fact, the scene of the meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, an episode that is taken from the Golden Legend by Jacopo da Varazze which takes up a biblical passage. The Queen of Sheba, who tradition holds to be the founder of the kingdom of Ethiopia, sought Solomon because she had heard of his wisdom and greatness. Recognizable among the beams of a bridge was part of the Tree of Knowledge, which, according to tradition, continued to sprout until it was cut to make the Cross of Christ. The canvas represents the following episode, when the Queen, with her maids depicted in the background on the left, meets Solomon; also accompanied by a soldier wearing a beautiful parade helmet. Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari was born in Genoa in 1598, and first entered the workshop of Bernardo Castello, where he could study the latest Tuscan mannerism and the work of Luca Cambiaso. Eventually, he migrated to Bernardo Strozzi's workshop, with whom he studied Flemish painting (especially that of Van Dyck which he copied several times), often taking inspiration for the liquid and fast color; and also for the expressiveness.