Master of the Saint Barbara Legend: diptych with Abner's Messenger before David and The Queen of Sheba (1480)

(Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA)

Two paintings made by an unknown Dutch artist with the notname 'Master of the Saint Barbara Legend'. these two paintings used to be the interior wings of a triptych which was broken into several pieces at one time. The central panel showed the Adoration of the Magi and is now housed at Galleria Colonna, Rome.

The left panel probably shows Abner's Messenger before David. According to 1 Samuel 14:50, 20:25, Abner was the cousin of King Saul of Israel and the commander-in-chief of his army. after Saul committed suicide after a lost battle against the Philistines, the succession of the throne erupted as a civil war between Ish-bosheth, Saul's only surviving son, and his son-in-law David. At the start of the war Abner fought for Ish-bosheth but he later changed sides: "Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron, saying:  "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and I will give you my support to bring all Israel over to you". (2 Samuel 3, 12)

The right panel shows the Queen of Sheba Bringing Gifts to Solomon. According to the Bible, the queen of Sheba heard of the wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and travelled to his court experience his wisdom. When she arrived, she brought with her many gifts: "with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones" (I Kings 10:2). "Never again came such an abundance of spices" (10:10; II Chron. 9:1–9) as those she gave to Solomon. She came "to prove him with hard questions", which Solomon answered to her satisfaction. They exchanged gifts, after which she returned to her land. The name of this queen of Sheba is never mentioned and the exact location of Sheba is also unclear. Today historians identify Sheba with the South Arabian kingdom of Saba in present-day Yemen.

The four kneeling men in the left and right corners are the donors of this altarpiece. Paintings from 1480