A scene frequently depicted as an example of the biblical king's wisdom. Two women had given birth at the same time but one of their children had died; each claimed to be the mother of the living child. Solomon ordered the child to be cut in two and shared between them, knowing the real mother would renounce her claim so that its life would be spared. The king is seated in the centre of the composition on an elaborate throne situated under an archway within a highly ornate, colonnaded hall. On the ground before him lie two babies on a blanket. To the right, an armoured soldier with a crested helmet and carrying a sword steps forward, towards Solomon, and gestures at the babies. Behind him is a group of courtiers, including a man wearing a large, wide-brimmed hat and a cloak with a fur collar, and another figure with a hat resembling a turban.