OBJECTS Femme fatale František Kupka (1871–1957) The Shulamite and Solomon, 1905 Illustration for the Song of Songs (Le Cantique des Cantique, Paris 1905) Wood engraving; 44 x 31 cm The bibliophile edition of the famous love song, adapted by the French writer and critic Jean de Bonnefon for the stage, was accompanied by Kupka’s ornamental wood engravings and several full-page illustrations devoted to the sensuous figure of the Shulamite, the celebrated mistress of King Solomon. In connection with the period heroisation of the “femmes fatales” from the Old Testament, Kupka produced an image of heightened, carnal, Oriental sensuality. In Bohemia, this biblical subject was also traditionally reflected in literature, namely in an earlier play by Julius Zeyer (first staged in 1883).