JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON
The creation of this piece was rather uncertain.The tapestry of Solomon is a huge presence in the Castle, but it was difficult to respond to the scene of the anointing. I thought about ways to depict this which would also allow me to show aspects of Solomon’s character and greater story, but sketched compositions were not working well. Of course, my process included a lot of research and reading about Solomon, how he has been viewed and how he has been depicted before. The one story that I kept returning to was the Judgment of Solomon. I decided that using this story would offer me more creative freedom to convey something about the figure of Solomon - I would use the tapestry as a starting point, use some of the visuals as inspiration, but the Judgment would have to be my subject.
The Judgment of Solomon is the story of two women who, while living together, both have babies. After the death of one of the children, each woman claims that the surviving baby is her own. As King Solomon is known for his wisdom, he is tasked with solving the dispute. A guard is brought in, and Solomon tells him to cut the baby in half - each woman will receive a piece. This set up provokes different reactions in the women. His true mother is distraught, and pleads that the other woman take the child, if only he can remain unharmed. And here the issue is resolved - Solomon decides that only the true mother would be willing to give up her son to save his life.
The most difficult part of the process was clearly communicating what was happening in this moment of action and anxiety. It was especially important to maintain a clear distinction between the false mother and the true mother. While looking at different paintings of the Judgment of Solomon, I noticed how artists could not always successfully communicate which mother is which. Of course, a more illustrative style makes it a lot easier to do this, as one is not limited by concerns about realism. Even in my favourite version, Lucas Cranach the Elder’s The Judgment of Solomon (1472–1553), it is very unclear who is the true and who is the false (I encourage you to look it up and see what you think).
In the end, a single reaching arm was the best option for the false mother. Coming from below and accompanied by a snake, I was able to show this figure as a representation of the dark feminine, and an agent of chaos. The unnerving spectre of this grabbing hand also creates a suggestion of the dark future which awaits the King. Solomon would eventually become corrupted by greed and power - thus the two women, the upstanding protector and the self centred manipulator, can be read as stand-ins for the two sides of Solomon’s character.
The arm of the false mother
The true mother