Oil on panel, 51cm by 70cm.
The story of the Queen of Sheba’s meeting with Solomon was a popular subject in Italian Renaissance art.
She is thought to have arrived in Jerusalem with a vast camel train of spices, gold and precious stones, after an epic journey, travelling from Arabia Felix, (modern day Yemen) through Ethiopia, Egypt and along the coast of the Red Sea.
There is some uncertainty as to where the artist known as Hans Jordaens was born, and to which branch of this considerable family of artists he belonged.
His paintings are also often confused with those of other members of the family.
