Meeting between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon 1466

Editor: So, here we have Piero della Francesca’s fresco, "The Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba," from 1466. I’m immediately struck by the muted colors, but also the incredibly detailed textiles everyone is wearing. It’s painted on a grand scale as a full wall mural. What’s your perspective on this piece? Curator: Well, for me, the fascination lies in understanding the *how*. Think about the fresco technique itself— pigments applied to wet plaster, a fleeting moment captured in labor-intensive work. Look closely. Do you see the joins between the sections of plaster, *giornate*, that reveal the working day for each segment? Each figure, each fold in those detailed textiles represents hours, days even, of skilled craft. Editor: That’s amazing, the giornate. The textiles *are* incredibly detailed. So you’re saying it’s about the actual making? Curator: Exactly. Consider the societal context. This wasn't simply about depicting a biblical scene, but about the production of wealth and power during the Renaissance. The very materials - the pigments, the plaster - speak to the wealth channeled into this artistic production, a symbol of status for the patron. It represents considerable human effort. Can we consider the act of fresco production as a literal solidification of economic and political power? Editor: It changes how you see it entirely. It’s easy to just look at the composition, the perspective, and miss that labour aspect completely. Now the colors almost seem... practical, informed by availability of resources and speed. Curator: Precisely. Each colour was the result of labour. The expensive blue could only be applied with careful consideration and precise intention, just as each application was considered by the painter within its timeframe and limitations. It's far more than an image; it’s an object embodying both devotional ideals, humanist philosophy, social commentary and economics of production Editor: Wow, I never thought about frescoes like that before, as material manifestations of labor and social dynamics. Curator: Exactly! Once one starts looking through a materialist lens, an entire new interpretation unfolds, focusing on production, labour, and power intertwined with visual representation.