Museum collections house trinket boxes of various shapes, which can be round, oval, rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal. They were traditionally used to store jewelry, money, securities, and other small items. To some extent, they also include cosmetic jars.
The exhibition “The World of the Streltsy of the Museum” in the Museum “The Smolensk Fortress” introduces visitors to several trinket boxes. This box that is on display in the museum was made by a craftsman in the 17th century from a copper alloy. The craftsman made a handle for the flat lid, as well as a special groove in the body of the item, and rendered birds and animals on the feet of the box. The four facets feature a relief biblical scene — the Judgement of King Solomon.
The legend tells how one day two women with a baby were brought to Solomon’s court. They shared a house and gave birth to their sons with a difference of three days. However, one of the babies died at night. The first woman claimed that her neighbor had swapped the children and taken her son who was alive. The second woman said that she did nothing of the kind, and the child of the first woman died at night.
How could one figure out in this situation which of the two women was telling the truth and was the real mother of the child? Without witnesses, it was impossible to establish the truth. The biblical story says that King Solomon ordered to bring a sword and cut the child in two so that each woman would receive her half. The first woman screamed that the child should not be killed, but given to the neighbor. The second one was satisfied. “Let it be neither for me nor for you, ” she said. Then everyone understood who the real mother of the child was.
The king ordered to give the baby back to the woman who asked for the boy to be left alive. This biblical story impressed many witnesses with its non-standard and subtle solution to a controversial issue. Hence the expression “the Judgement of Solomon” that is so commonly used.
The king’s decision was depicted by the artisan who made the box. There are seven figures on the side: Solomon sits on the throne in the far right corner, the dead child is wrapped in a shroud, a soldier holds the baby who is alive with his right hand, while he holds his sword with his left.
The exhibition “The World of the Streltsy of the Museum” in the Museum “The Smolensk Fortress” introduces visitors to several trinket boxes. This box that is on display in the museum was made by a craftsman in the 17th century from a copper alloy. The craftsman made a handle for the flat lid, as well as a special groove in the body of the item, and rendered birds and animals on the feet of the box. The four facets feature a relief biblical scene — the Judgement of King Solomon.
The legend tells how one day two women with a baby were brought to Solomon’s court. They shared a house and gave birth to their sons with a difference of three days. However, one of the babies died at night. The first woman claimed that her neighbor had swapped the children and taken her son who was alive. The second woman said that she did nothing of the kind, and the child of the first woman died at night.
How could one figure out in this situation which of the two women was telling the truth and was the real mother of the child? Without witnesses, it was impossible to establish the truth. The biblical story says that King Solomon ordered to bring a sword and cut the child in two so that each woman would receive her half. The first woman screamed that the child should not be killed, but given to the neighbor. The second one was satisfied. “Let it be neither for me nor for you, ” she said. Then everyone understood who the real mother of the child was.
The king ordered to give the baby back to the woman who asked for the boy to be left alive. This biblical story impressed many witnesses with its non-standard and subtle solution to a controversial issue. Hence the expression “the Judgement of Solomon” that is so commonly used.
The king’s decision was depicted by the artisan who made the box. There are seven figures on the side: Solomon sits on the throne in the far right corner, the dead child is wrapped in a shroud, a soldier holds the baby who is alive with his right hand, while he holds his sword with his left.
