Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Click to view high resolution image Title: Balaam, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon Creator: Description: Balaam stands to the left and inclines his head toward the Queen of Sheba who stands next to King Solomon. At the socle of Balaam's column is the donkey that revealed the angel's presence according to the Bible passage in Numbers . Below the Queen of Sheba is an Ethiopian figure holding a money sack. In the Middle Ages, the Queen was often associated with Africanized figures or was sometimes portrayed as black herself. At Solomon's socle is a figure pulling a thorn from its foot, a medieval symbol of idolatry that refers to Solomon's devotion to his wives' pagan gods. By the twelfth century the Queen of Sheba was presented as a symbol of the Church traveling from the farthest reaches of the world to hear the Divine Wisdom of Solomon, who was presented as a Christ-like figure. To signify her far-away and exotic origins, the queen was sometimes shown as accompanied by a dark-skinned figure as she is here, or at other times was herself depicted as a dark-skinned woman. Source: Wikimedia Commons Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Subject (See Also): Blacks Queen of Sheba (Biblical Figure) Geographic Area: France Century: 13 Date: ca. 1230 Related Work: Current Location: Chartres Cathedral, exterior north transept, west portal Original Location: Chartres Cathedral, exterior north transept, west portal Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Sculptures Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Limestone Donor: Height/Width/Length(cm): // Inscription: Related Resources:

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