Unknown
Solomon Enthroned as the King of the Three Worldscirca 1775-1800

Not on view

Mughal-style opaque watercolor painting of an enthroned ruler surrounded by winged figures, demonic beings, and animals including a tiger, elephants, and a crocodile, within a dense floral border

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Solomon Enthroned as the King of the Three Worlds
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Awadh, Lucknow
Date Made: circa 1775-1800
Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/8 x 9 5/8 in. (32.07 x 24.45 cm); Image: 8 7/8 x 6 1/8 in. (22.54 x 15.56 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Anna Bing Arnold
Accession Number: M.89.51.1
Classification: Drawings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: According to Islamic belief, Solomon (Arabic name: Sulayman), the third king of ancient Israel, was an archetype of the ideal of just kingship. Graced with the ability to communicate with and calm wild beasts, Solomon was regarded as the sovereign of the three worlds, the earthly realm (symbolized by the pacified animals beneath him), the nether world (symbolized by the subjugated demons), and the heavens (symbolized by the winged angels bearing offerings). The Mughals and other Islamic dynasties frequently commissioned portraits of Solomon as an allegorical metaphor and leitmotif to affirm the righteousness of their own reigns. He was believed to epitomize the just ruler of a harmonious kingdom.

The title of this painting is inscribed on the reverse: “Picture of the Throne of His Majesty Prophet Solomon.” The nimbate Solomon is enthroned in a golden domed pavilion. He is attended by a group of a winged angels in contemporaneous garb. One angel offers him fruit in a blue and white ceramic bowl, while another angel carries a blue and white bowl with a bejeweled golden lid. Various pacified animals gather beneath him, including a liger in the foreground and a Persian mythological simurgh flying above. A phalanx of subjugated demons pay homage before him. The composition is enlivened by the interaction between the angels, the interaction between the demons, and the interaction between the animals.

This painting is reportedly based on a Bijapuri work of 1620. See also M.76.113.11.
Selected Bibliography: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Members' Calendar 1991. vol. 28-29, no. 12-1 (December, 1990-January, 1992).
Markel, Stephen. "The Enigmatic Image: Curious Subjects in Indian Art." Asianart.com, July 28, 2015. http://asianart.com/articles/enigmatic.

Unknown
Solomon Enthroned as the King of the Three Worldscirca 1775-1800

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Solomon Enthroned as the King of the Three Worlds
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Awadh, Lucknow
Date Made: circa 1775-1800
Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/8 x 9 5/8 in. (32.07 x 24.45 cm); Image: 8 7/8 x 6 1/8 in. (22.54 x 15.56 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Anna Bing Arnold
Accession Number: M.89.51.1
Classification: Drawings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: According to Islamic belief, Solomon (Arabic name: Sulayman), the third king of ancient Israel, was an archetype of the ideal of just kingship. Graced with the ability to communicate with and calm wild beasts, Solomon was regarded as the sovereign of the three worlds, the earthly realm (symbolized by the pacified animals beneath him), the nether world (symbolized by the subjugated demons), and the heavens (symbolized by the winged angels bearing offerings). The Mughals and other Islamic dynasties frequently commissioned portraits of Solomon as an allegorical metaphor and leitmotif to affirm the righteousness of their own reigns. He was believed to epitomize the just ruler of a harmonious kingdom.

The title of this painting is inscribed on the reverse: “Picture of the Throne of His Majesty Prophet Solomon.” The nimbate Solomon is enthroned in a golden domed pavilion. He is attended by a group of a winged angels in contemporaneous garb. One angel offers him fruit in a blue and white ceramic bowl, while another angel carries a blue and white bowl with a bejeweled golden lid. Various pacified animals gather beneath him, including a liger in the foreground and a Persian mythological simurgh flying above. A phalanx of subjugated demons pay homage before him. The composition is enlivened by the interaction between the angels, the interaction between the demons, and the interaction between the animals.

This painting is reportedly based on a Bijapuri work of 1620. See also M.76.113.11.
Selected Bibliography: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Members' Calendar 1991. vol. 28-29, no. 12-1 (December, 1990-January, 1992).
Markel, Stephen. "The Enigmatic Image: Curious Subjects in Indian Art." Asianart.com, July 28, 2015. http://asianart.com/articles/enigmatic.