Artist: Master Mateo
Date: 1188
Museum: The Catedral de Santiago Foundation (Santiago De Compostela, Spain)
Technique: Granite
The narthex (or antechamber) of the Portico of Glory had a western facade that served as the gable of Santiago Cathedral, as well as completing it. The facade had no door leaves until 1520–21, when the medieval doors and their column statues were taken down. At the beginning of the 17th century the statues of the biblical kings David and Solomon were placed on the parapet of the loggia at the top of the great baroque staircase down to the Plaza do Obradoiro: David on the left and Solomon on the right. David holds a carefully sculpted rote (stringed instrument). He plucks the strings with his right hand, while in his left he holds a key used to adjust their tightness. On his head sits a royal crown, his curly hair emerging from underneath it.The statue of Solomon is less harmonious because the head was destroyed by lightning in 1729 and the one that replaced it is clumsy, heavy, and detracts from the rest of the figure. His right palm is bordered by the robe and his left is resting on his knee, seemingly holding the scepter, with its floral crown, over his chest.
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