Title

Solomon

Berruguete, Pedro [attributed to] (Paredes de Nava, ca. 1445 - Madrid, ca. 1503)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Object history

This panel, attributed to Pedro Berruguete, was part of an altarpiece that was dismantled. The earliest record we have of it places it in the collection of Raimundo and Luis Ruiz, two art dealers and collectors from the early 20th century (Martínez Ruiz, 2011). Thanks to photographs from the Moreno archive—now preserved at the Spanish Institute of Cultural Heritage—it is possible to trace some of the works they sold off in the United States (Martínez Ruiz, 2022).

In 1929, the Ruiz brothers took advantage of theBarcelona International Exposition to exhibit part of their collection. Among the pieces they brought to the exhibition were nine panels by Pedro Berruguete that caught the attention of collectors. Laínez (1943) and Post (1947) provided further information about the nine panels. It was the American Hispanist who stated in Volume IX of*A History of Spanish Painting* that the set originated from an altarpiece dedicated to the Life of the Virgin.

Although the set was dismembered, nine panels known to have been part of it are identified:

• King Solomon. Since 1971, it has been housed in Falaise, a residence managed by the Nassau County Department of Parks and Recreation in the United States (Young, 1975).
•  King David. The panel is housed at Bowdoin College in the United States.
• The Prophet Isaiah. In 1975, Young located this panel in Madrid (Spain); however, after tracing the piece, we have confirmed thatit was put up for sale in 2011, and its current whereabouts are unknown. 
• The Prophet Jeremiah. In 1975, Young located this panel in Madrid, Spain.
• The Birth of the Virgin. It was acquired in 1948 by Abbot Escarré and is currently housed in the museum of Montserrat Abbey.
• The Visitation. The last report on its whereabouts came from Young in 1975, who stated that it was in Madrid, Spain. Its current whereabouts are unknown (Silva, 2003). 
• The Annunciation. Currently housed at the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts (Spain). 
• The Dormition. It was acquired in 1948 by Abbot Escarré and is currently housed in the museum of Montserrat Abbey.
• Assumption of the Virgin. It is housed at the Davis Museum atWellesley College in the United States.

In addition to these nine panels, the Museum of Pontevedra houses a painting by Pedro Berruguete depicting the Marriage of the Virgin. The dimensions of the work (144 x 91 cm) match those of the panels depicting the life of the Virgin, as do the subject matter and the date. Therefore, we propose the hypothesis that it may also have been part of the set.

Although the provenance of the altarpiece is unknown, it seems plausible to assume that Berruguete created it during his stay in Palencia, given the similarities between the figures in the predella and those in other works executed by the painter in the 1480s–1490s, such as the altarpiece of Santa Eulalia in Paredes de Nava (Palencia). These panels were part of an earlier altarpiece dedicated to Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, on which Alejo de Vahía likely collaborated as a sculptor (Zalama, 1988). Inocencio Berruguete and his brother-in-law, Esteban Jordán, were responsible for the new altarpiece, placing Pedro Berruguete’s six panels depicting the saints of Judah on the predella (Zalama, 2013). Returning to the dismembered panels, Young (1975) dated them to around 1485 based on their Italianate elements, the treatment of perspective, the spatial organization, and the modeling of the figures. It should be noted that around this time, in addition to the altarpiece in Paredes de Nava, Berruguete also created the one in Becerril de Campos (Palencia).  

After being separated, nine of the panels that had been part of the altarpiece depicting the Life of the Virgin ended up in the hands of the Ruiz brothers (Laínez, 1943; Post, 1947), who ran an antiques business in Madrid (Martínez Ruiz, 2011). They made repeated visits to the Castilian dioceses with the aim of meeting the demands of the North American market, becoming pioneers in the international antiquities trade (Martínez Ruiz, 2010).

On December 9, 1925, Raimundo Ruiz sold“five important paintings by Pedro Berruguete” at an auction held at American Art Galleries (New York): Visitation, Nativity of the Virgin, Dormition, Assumption of the Virgin, and Solomon (lots 739A–739E). This last panel appeared in the auction catalog under the title“The Wisdom of Solomon,”and its description was as follows:“Seated half-figure of the monarch robed in green, reading from a book and holding a scepter with a scrolled label bearing a Latin moral inscription and the name, SALOMON. Gold Background”(December 9, 1925, Spanish Antiquities; pottery tiles, furniture, ironwork, lamps, paintings, etc., American Art).

Harry Guggenheim, an aviation pioneer and U.S. ambassador to Cuba, acquired the piece in 1925 to display it at Falaise, his residence on Long Island Sound (New York, United States). Guggenheim bequeathed the entire property to Nassau County in 1971 (Young, 1975), including the works of art housed within it. Although it has sometimes been believed that the panel was housed at the Nassau County Museum in New York (Silva, 2003), the truth is that it is actually located at the Nassau County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Description

The painting depicts King Solomon in a half-length, frontal view. He is richly attired and holds a scepter in one hand—a symbol of his kingship—while holding a book in the other. At the top is a phylactery that reads“VENI ELECTA MEA ET CORONABERIS”(“Come, my chosen one, and you shall be crowned”). This text reinforces the idea that the altarpiece to which the panel belonged was dedicated to the life of the Virgin Mary. The scene is framed by two columns and a gilded tapestry.

Locations

• Last quarter of the XV^th c.

  region

  Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Castilla y León (Spain)

• First quarter of the XX^th c. - ca. 1925

  dealer/antiquarian

  Raimundo Ruiz, Madrid (Spain) *

• ca. 1925

  auction house

  The American Art Association / The American Art Galleries, New York (United States)

• ca. 1925 - 1971

  private collection

  Harry Guggenheim, Long Island Sound, Nueva York (United States) *

• ca. 1971 - present

  organization

  Nassau County Department of Parks and Recreation, Nassau (United States)