THE GREAT QUEEN OF THE SOUTH: Edward Poynter’s The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon in the Art Gallery of NSW with Alison Inglis

The monumental painting of The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, executed by the Victorian artist, Sir Edward Poynter in 1890, is today regarded as a masterpiece of British 19th century Orientalism.

Certainly the picture is a fascinating amalgam of archaeological and imaginative details – even including its magnificent gilt frame. This paper will examine the painting in terms of its history and reception in the 19th and 20th centuries, and also place it within the complex iconographical tradition of the Queen of Sheba.

Alison Inglis teaches, researches and publishes on 19th century British art. Her doctorial thesis examined the work of the Victorian academic painter, Sir Edward Poynter. She is an Associate Professor in the Art History program of The University of Melbourne. She has co-ordinated the MA in Art Curatorship since 1995.

Sir Edward Poynter, The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon (detail), 1890, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney