THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

View Similar Items

Philip Evergood - Philip Evergood American Modernism WPA Social Realism Modern Still Life Interior

Donald S. Vogel - Two Girls in Green

C. Dimitri - Rosemarie & Young Jim, bright colors abstracted portrait interior flowers

William Eric Horsbrugh-Porter - Mother and Child

Raphaël Renaud - Corner of AS, Original Oil Painting, Landscape

Frederick E. Wright - A Musician oil painting by Frederick E. Wright

Helmantel, Henk - Still-Life with Red-White Canvas - 21st Century Contemporary Oil Painting

Rogelio de Egusquiza y Barrena - "Lady in yellow", 19th Century oil on panel by Rogelio de Egusquiza y Barrena

Eduardo Leon Garrido - "The Painter and his Model", 19th C. Oil on Mahogany Wood Panel by E. L. Garrido

Eduardo Leon Garrido - Eduardo León Garrido, "An Elegant Dance", 19th C. Oil on Mahogany Wood Panel

Vicente Palmaroli y González - "Playing hide and seek", 19th Century Oil on Panel by Vicente Palmaroli, Spanish

Christopher Clark - Light From the Window

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 9

James Jacques Joseph Tissot
THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
1816-1918

About the Item

This exceptional oil by the great French master James Jacques Joseph Tissot captures a regal Queen of Sheba greeting the biblical King Solomon for the first time. The subject is one of a series of paintings composed by the artist following his conversion to Catholicism; first executed in gouache, these works were later published in a French edition of the La Sainte Bible in 1904. The present work, dating to his final years, is based upon one of these earlier illustrations and is arguably the more successful of the two. By comparison, the work exudes a drama that is absent from Tissot's gouache, while this Sheba has a mien that is far more regal and less subservient as she encounters the King on his dais. The work closely relates to Sir Edward John Poynter's The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon (Art Gallery of New South Wales) that dates to 1890, though Tissot chose a far more interesting vantage point that merely suggests King Solomon's presence beyond the steps to the right of the scene. Rather, Tissot's focus is solely on the Queen, surrounded by her bowing maidens and watched closely by the King's armed guards. The result is an anticipatory drama that is even more heightened by Tissot's muted palette of grey and golds. In both composition and atmosphere, it reveals Tissot's mastery of light, shadow, detail and form. Born in 1836 in the port town of Nantes, Tissot traveled to Paris at the age of 20 in order to join the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. During this period, he became close with James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, and the impact of these friendships is reflected in his portraits of modern life. Having enjoyed considerable success in Paris during the 1860s, Tissot fought in the Siege of Paris, and after the fall of the Commune in 1871, he went to London, where he stayed for the next ten years. He was incredibly successful as a painter there and also met the love of his life, Kathleen Newton, a divorcée, with whom he lived from about 1876 until her death in 1882. Following her death, Tissot returned to Paris. Distraught over Kathleen's death, Tissot turned to spiritualism and eventually became quite religious, a change that was reflected in the subjects of his works such as this one. Today he is regarded among the great master of Belle Époque painting, and his works can be found in important collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Musee d'Orsay, the Tate Gallery and many others. Panel: 14" high x 20" wide Frame: 20 1/4" high x 26 3/4" wide References: The Albums of James Tissot, 1982, by W.E. Misfeldt, p. 120, plate IV.48 (illustrated)

Creator:
James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902, French)
Creation Year:
1816-1918
Dimensions:
Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
Medium:
Oil,Panel
Movement & Style:
Modern
Period:
Late 19th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 31-26161stDibs: LU1867353202