Gospel in Art: The Queen of the South came to hear the wisdom of Solomon

The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon by Sir Edward John Poynter, 1890 © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12 October 2026
Luke 11:29-32

At that time: When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, 'This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel, Jesus makes a rather intriguing reference to the Queen of the South. Who exactly was she? She is generally identified with the Queen of Sheba, whose remarkable visit to King Solomon is described in 1 Kings 10. Sheba was probably a kingdom in southern Arabia, associated especially with the area of modern-day Yemen, although later Ethiopian tradition also strongly claimed her story. Scripture does not actually give us her name, but describes a wealthy and powerful queen who had heard reports of Solomon's extraordinary wisdom. She was so intrigued that she set out on a long journey to Jerusalem to meet him for herself.

And she did not arrive quietly! Scripture tells us that the Queen of the South came with a great caravan of camels carrying spices, enormous quantities of gold and precious stones. Yet what she was really searching for was wisdom. She questioned Solomon and tested him with difficult questions; and when she heard his answers and witnessed the splendour of his court, she was overwhelmed. She recognised that something remarkable had been given to Solomon by God. That is precisely why Jesus mentions her in today's Gospel. He says, in effect: Look at her! She travelled an enormous distance because she had heard about the wisdom of Solomon, and yet "something greater than Solomon is here."

That makes Jesus' words rather challenging for us too. The Queen of the South travelled across countries in search of wisdom; meanwhile, Christ was standing directly in front of the people of his own generation, and many of them still demanded another sign. And perhaps we can do the same. We can spend our lives searching for dramatic signs of God while overlooking the ways in which Christ is already present among us. Above all, we encounter him in the Eucharist. We do not have to travel across deserts with caravans of gold to find him.... at every Mass, we come before one greater than Solomon.

Edward Poynter's The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, painted in 1890, is enormous, more than three metres wide. Poynter fills the scene with almost overwhelming splendour: towering architecture, rich fabrics, precious objects and an elaborate royal court. This fascination with archaeological detail was typical of the late nineteenth century, when discoveries from Egypt and the Middle East were firing the European imagination. But amid all that magnificence, look at the Queen herself. She has travelled an immense distance and brought extraordinary riches with her, yet she has come because there is something she values even more than gold: wisdom. She almost takes on a humble pose before Solomon, seeking for his wise words...

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's Reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-11-29-32-2026-2/