The Jewish holiday of Purim originates from the Book of Esther. This Hebrew Bible story features the beautiful Queen Esther, her uncle Mordecai, her husband the Persian King Ahasuerus, and his government official Haman.
Queen Esther
This narrative has been a popular subject for a wide range of paintings. “Queen Esther” by British artist Edwin Long (1829–1891) is a stunning depiction of the queen in her final preparations before meeting with the king. After strategizing with Mordecai, she decides to approach Ahasuerus for an audience, although doing so is forbidden. She is willing to risk death for her infraction.
In the painting, Esther looks directly at the viewer with a penetrating gaze. Despite her melancholy, she communicates resolve. Long’s attention to archaeologically correct detail is dazzling. Cuneiform tablets inspired his depicted wall inscriptions. The colors of the hangings and marble flooring are taken from Verse 6 of the first chapter of the Book of Esther.
Long was a highly successful member of the Royal Academy, known for his large and richly decorative biblical and historical canvases. He painted two works featuring Queen Esther. In April 1878, an adviser to Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria visited Long’s London studio and saw the first Esther painting in progress. Taken by the subject, he commissioned another version for the museum. Immediately, Long began this new work. He subsequently worked on both paintings simultaneously, using different models and varying expressions.
The King’s Pardon
“Esther Before Ahasuerus” by Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1654 or later) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the artist’s most ambitious works. Curator Emeritus Keith Christiansen writes: “Artemisia makes Esther more than a paper-doll role model: She gives us a believable woman, full of dignity, boldly risking all as she faces the young, capricious king. And to make the story even more compelling, she dispenses with any attempt at historical dress and puts them in contemporary costume.”
Gentileschi was the most famous female artist of the 1600s, and she was the first to be celebrated for painting large, complex compositions with multiple figures from biblical or mythological stories—what was considered the highest form of painting. The daughter of the prominent painter Orazio Gentileschi, her patrons included the Medici family and King Philip IV of Spain.
Gentileschi’s work frequently features female protagonists. In this painting from the 1620s, she shows Esther swooning during the audience with her husband. The king is depicted in an unusual manner, as a comic figure with exaggerated attire. By extending his leg, Ahasuerus’s silk stocking and jeweled, fur-trimmed boot are highlighted. His crown is amplified by the inclusion of a plumed hat. Instead of projecting regality, he appears foppish. His dress is akin to clothes worn by a comedic character in a play, and some scholars believe this serves to emphasize Esther’s superiority.
The scene’s optics adhere to the Greek version, approved by the Council of Trent in 1546, of the original Hebrew text. This updated account was popular with 17th-century artists; it expounds on the concise biblical description of this particular part of the story. Gentileschi has Esther splendidly dressed and accompanied by two maidservants. The king is seated on his throne, rising as Esther sinks to the floor. In the story, he gathers Esther in his arms, grants her pardon, and bestows his favor upon her. She invites him along with Haman to a banquet, and the following evening another meal is organized.
Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Russia. (Public Domain)
Depictions of the second banquet are popular in art history, and Dutch artists created several prominent versions in the 17th century. During that period, the Jewish heroine Esther became a significant symbol to the Dutch Calvinists as they struggled with and eventually revolted against Catholic Spain.
‘The Feast of Esther’
Another Dutch painting, “The Feast of Esther,” is an earlier rendering of this narrative from circa 1625. Art historians used to attribute the work to Rembrandt, but it is now considered to be by the hand of Jan Lievens, as is the case for a number of Lievens’s greatest works. Lievens (1607–1674) was a brilliant painter who has long been overshadowed by Rembrandt. The two men were friends and may have shared a studio at one point.
Lievens worked in a variety of styles. Characteristically, he is known for bold colorizations, strong contrasts of light and dark, and a tightly cropped composition with figures close to the picture plane; all of these are visible in “The Feast of Esther.” As with Gentileschi’s interpretation, Rembrandt and Lievens amplify the relevancy of the story by setting it contemporaneously. Esther points at Haman, who raises a hand as if to defend himself, while the king puts his fist on the table.
Banqueting plays a pivotal role in the Book of Esther and how Purim is celebrated today. Feasts are often held and feature people dressed in costumes. Hamantashen, a three-cornered cookie named for the villainous Haman, is a popular treat. When the story is recited, noisemakers are shaken to drown out Haman’s name.
“Purim (Feast of Esther) (Das Purim-Fest),” an 1873 painting by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800–1882) at The Jewish Museum, shows a middle-class German family celebrating this holiday. The main meal is over, and dessert has been served. The seated man at the right is eating hamantashen pastry while music-playing revelers are masquerading at the left.
Oppenheim was the first Jewish artist to take instruction in the academic painting style. He became famous for biblical canvases and depictions of 19th-century Jewish life.
Purim, the holiday that Queen Esther inspired, features much to admire and celebrate. As the Jewish Museum notes, “Purim has it all-power, romance, intrigue, and partying!”
The Book of Esther showcases Esther as a powerful woman and champion. Her faith, loyalty, and strength are attributes that inspired these painters to convey her personal qualities in their artistic portrayals.
