Solomon’s Judgement

​In Western art this theme was a metaphor of the wise judge who uses his psychological insight to determine truth and justice. For Herman Wald the Biblical king became a metaphor for the dispute over the partition of Palestine. Clad in regal garb he is seated before the two supplicants. His hands hover axe-like over the featureless infant in his lap.  It is the moment before his judgement. The woman on the left expresses fear, covering  her face with  her hands. The woman on right has a stance of hope,  gazing upwards towards the king Solomon. The flow of the his garments connects the two antagonists.  The sculpture is a universal symbol of division, as in warfare or in feuding families.