The Iron Worker and King Solomon

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Here the focus falls on a craftsman rather than the king alone, which sets this scene apart from the other Solomon images on the board. The title pairs an iron worker with King Solomon, pointing to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, traditionally dated to the 10th century BCE. First Kings says no iron tool was heard at the site, and later Jewish writings held that iron was unfit for the sacred structure, so a metalworker in this story invites a closer look. The record gives no artist or date, so the picture is best read as an illustration of that long-told account of the Temple's construction.

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