''The Judgment of Solomon''
Illustration by Willy Pogány
This wonderful illustration depicts a moment from the life of Solomon - the son of David - that was seminal to establishing
his reputation as a wise ruler. Solomon ruled the Kingdom of Israel throughout the mid-10th Century BC.
The Biblical passage depicted in this illustration (1 Kings 3: 16-28) follows:
Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. And one
woman said, "O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth
while she was in the house. The it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that
this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house,
except the two of us in the house. And this woman's son died in the night, because she
lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while
your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And whey I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I examined
him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne."
The the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your
son."
And the first woman said, "No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son."
Thus they spoke before the king.
And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one';
and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one'." Then
the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. And the king
said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other."
Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion
for her son; and she said, "O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!"
But the other said, "Let him be neither mine nor your, but divide him."
So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means
kill him; she is his mother."
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king,
for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Pogány's illustration provides a powerful portrayal of the pleadings of the mother of the living child before Solomon.
.jpg) Complete image |
Single Greeting Card (with matching Envelope)
Code: WP
JS SGC |
%20(300).jpg) Detail (for reference) |
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Reproduction on 12x18" sheet
Code: WP
JS 12x18 |
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Reproduction on 18x24" sheet
Code: WP
JS 18x24 |
Our Greeting Cards
When presented on Greeting Cards, this image is prepared as a tipped-on plate - in hommage to the hand-crafted
approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century. Each card is
hand-finished, with the image presented on Ivory card stock with an accompanying envelope. On the rear of each
card we also present some information about Willy Pogány and this wonderful illustration. We have left the interior
of the cards blank so that you may write your own personal message.
Our large format reproductions
Each of our large format reproductions are prepared with archival quality materials and processes to ensure many
years of enjoyment. In addition, our reproductions are accompanied by explanatory material relating to Willy
Pogány and this wonderful illustration.
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