Frans II Francken - XVIIth century

Idolatry of King Solomon : oil on panel workshop of Frans Francken II . This painting shows the "architect of the Temple ," which encouraged by the Queen of Sheba , worships the idol of a pagan God holding a double flash ( Zeus ? ) . On the pedestal , there is a scene of sacrifice beef . This work is a very new version and Eastern ( Turkish caps , architecture in the background) a table many times produced by Francken and his workshop . The museum has one of Perigueux whose dimensions are close . These biblical scenes painted during the Golden Age are still very confusing for reference and are the fruit of the imagination of the painter and the result of a mixture of fragmentary knowledge .

Dimensions: 58 x 47 cm panel - 71 x 60 cm with frame

Status: The panel is reinforced at the back. Vertical slot filled and restored. Usual restorations . Comes with a wooden frame blackened later reversed profile.

The topic: " King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter of the Moabites , Ammonites , Edomites , Zidonians, and Hittites. They belonged to the nations concerning which the LORD had told the Israelites , "You do not go home and they will not come home. They certainly lead your heart to follow their gods. " It was these nations that Solomon clung , love for these women. He had 700 wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines , and his wives turned away his heart . " Source BibleGateway

Frans Francken II and Frans Francken the Younger ( Antwerp 1581 - Antwerp 1641 ) . Son Frans I, it will be the most famous of the dynasty of Francken . He excelled in many different genres, specializing in painting pictures of small and medium format (also called paint cabinet). He painted many biblical, mythological and historical scenes with many characters . You can easily tell his works to his very special way to run the eyes of his characters as black dots in thin faces .