The Judgment of Solomon

painting by Poussin

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

The painting "The Judgment of Solomon" is by Nicolas Poussin, a French painter who spent most of his career in Rome. Poussin is known for his history paintings, which often depict scenes from the Bible, ancient history, and mythology.1

The biblical story of Solomon's judgment involves two women claiming to be the mother of the same child. King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, devises a plan to determine the true mother by threatening to divide the child. The woman who protests this action, revealing her maternal love, is identified as the real mother.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Nicolas Poussin
The Raphael of our century
…Family on the Steps, and The Judgment of Solomon. In all of those the artist integrated the figures with their setting in a strict and uncompromising manner that resulted in scenes that are not only conceived in depth but also highly unified across the two-dimensional surface of the picture. The…
Read More
…Family on the Steps, and The Judgment of Solomon. In all of those the artist integrated the figures with their setting in a strict and uncompromising manner that resulted in scenes that are not only conceived in depth but also highly unified across the two-dimensional surface of the picture. The…
Read More