BIBLE ART GALLERY
ESTHER
WIFE DISOBEYS HUSBAND!!!!
|
'The
king sent for his
beautiful queen, Vashti, to appear before the drunken men. She refused
to come. Humiliated, he banished her. |
Sculptor: Unknown
Year: Found at Persepolis, circa 515-338BC
Held by Archaeological Museum, Tehran
Comment: This is not, of course, an image of Esther. It is an archaeological artifact from the historical period and place in which her story is set.
See BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: PALACES for photographs of the excavated palace of Persepolis, capital of ancient Persia - where Esther supposedly lived.
Painter: Hesdin of Amiens
Year: c.1450
Incident shown: Esther is so terrified of entering the throne room unbidden - knowing her action should be punished by death - that she faints. But in this scene she has recovered from her fainting spell and now asks King Ahasuerus if he will attend a banquet she will arrange in his honor.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 5:1-4
Information: This manuscript drawing, done by a French monk some time in the middle of the 1400's, is taken from a 'Bible for the Poor'. Pictures were used by members of the clergy to explain the stories of the Bible. People then, as now, responded positively to images and drawings, and the churches of the time were laden with statues and paintings that were used as teaching aids. The 'Bible for the Poor' used episodes from the Old Testament as predictions of events from the life of Christ. Esther's plea to Ahasuerus is a prediction of the plea the Virgin makes to God, on behalf of humanity.
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Title: 'Queen Esther'
Painter: Andrea del Castagno (1423-1457)
Year: 1450
Incident shown: This is a painting depicting Queen Esther, the very model of a regal and dignified beauty.
Bible reference: Book of Esther
Information: This painting is from a loggia at the Villa Carducci Pandalfini, where Castagno painted a series on 'Famous Men and Women' (though the paintings are now housed in the Castagno Museum in Florence). He set the larger-than-life paintings within niches, so that they looked as if they were sculptures rather than paintings. The success of a great portrait/painting is that we feel that there is a real personality behind the face. Esther's face in this painting is intelligent, wise and wary, all at the same time.
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Title: Three scenes from the story of Esther
Painter: Filippino Lippi
Year: 1475
Incident shown: The painting is made up of three different scenes. In the first, Mordecai laments the terrible fate that awaits the Jewish people living in Ahasuerus' realm: all are condemned to die. In the second, Esther faints with fear as she enters the throne room of her husband, and approaches the throne; her body is supported by the two maid-servants who accompany her. In the third, the terrified Haman begs for mercy, but in vain.
Bible reference: Book of Esther
Information: Many of the images of Esther from this period present her as a parallel to the Virgin Mary - a young woman who also accepted her part in God's plan, and whose actions saved her people. Esther was presented as a modest and virtuous woman, a true heroine. It did not seem to matter that in the biblical version, Esther was a devious liar who hid her true identity and took part in palace intrigue. All this was forgiven or overlooked, and Esther's personality was reshaped to fit current ideals of the time.
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Title: ' The Banquet of Ahasuerus'
Painter: Jacopo del Sellaio (1442-1493)
Year: c.1498
Incident shown: The Persian king Ahasuerus is surrounded by his courtiers, who seem nonplussed, even aghast, at something that has just happened. They have probably heard about Queen Vashti's message to the king: that she refuses to obey his order to parade herself before the half- or fully-drunk men. Disobedience of a royal order was unthinkable, even for a queen, since the king wielded absolute power.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 1
Information: Palaces in the Persian Empire usually had two separate living areas, one for men and another for women. As well, men and women usually ate separately. This painting shows a banquet for men, attended only for men. When the drunken King Ahasuerus summons his Queen Vashti to show her beauty before the male guests at his banquet, it is an insult to a woman of her rank. She refuses to obey his summons, quite rightly realising that her husband, if he has any sense at all, will later regret giving the order. Usually, only prostitutes and entertainers would appear at these banquets.
See BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: PALACES for excavations of the palace of Persepolis.
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Title: 'The Punishment of Haman'
Painter: Michelangelo Buonarroti
Year: 1511
Incident shown: Haman is condemned to death and then strung up naked on the wooden gallows he had built to kill his enemy, Esther's cousin Mordecai. To the left of his body, we see him at the tableThere are actually three scenes in the Haman picture because as well as seeing Haman punished, we see him at the table with Esther and the King and get a view of the King on his bed. The servants who have done the ghastly deed are on the steps, making a link between the scenes.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 7:1-10
Information: The interesting thing about Michelangelo's depiction of the punishment of Haman is that he has changed the mode of execution: Haman is nailed to a rough wooden cross-beam, crucifixion-style with nails through his hands and feet, rather than hanging from the 'gallows fifty cubits high' that is mentioned in Esther 7:9. The reason for this change is that medieval and Renaissance theology saw the death of Haman as prefiguring the crucifixion of Jesus.
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Title: 'Esther before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Tintoretto
Year: 1546-7
Incident shown: Esther swoons in terror as she approaches the King - the Bible story says her heart was frozen in fear. He steps forward, his bearing full of concern for her. The courtiers are agog at this unexpected behavior on the part of their new Queen.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: This painting has all the turbulence and drama for which Tintoretto is famous, and shows a fainting Esther, mentioned in the Greek edition of the story: Esther swoons when she sees Ahasuerus' face full of anger; then ‘God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself’. Tintoretto was one of the first artists to show Esther fainting, an idea that was important because it that linked her to the Virgin collapsing at the foot of the Cross. The painting was bought by Charles I, is now the property of Queen Elizabeth, and is held in Buckingham Palace, London.
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Title: 'Esther before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Year: 1620
Incident shown: Esther seems in the act of falling towards the viewer as she faints on the steps of the throne. Her two maidservants support her sagging body, and Ahasuerus leans forward to touch her.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: Another moment and it seems as if the people suspended above our heads will take a false step and come crashing down. Rubens has used foreshortening to achieve this effect, distorting the proportions of the figures to that they appear to be three dimensional and correctly proportional when seen from below.
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Title: 'Esther before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Claude Vignon (1593-1670)
Year: 1624
Incident shown: Esther, gorgeously dressed and accompanied by a retinue of servants, bows before the King, her husband. He sits impassively watching her. Perhaps Vignon was suggesting that the King's measured stare was the cause of her terror and subsequent fainting spell.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 5:1-4
Information: Vignon was a leading French painter of the Baroque, and this painting was done after he returned from Rome, where he was influenced by the paintings of Caravaggio - his use of chiaroscuro, while not up to the standard of Caravaggio's genius, is interesting. The light, what there is of it, falls mostly on Esther. Her husband Ahasuerus is immersed in darkness. One male figure to the right is also bathed in light - presumably this is Mordecia? And is the darkened figure beside him Haman? The children who follow Esther, baby Baroque courtiers all, suggest that she will have many children herself.
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Title: 'Triumph of Mordecai"
Painter: Pieter Lastman (1583-1633)
Year: 1624
Incident shown: Mordecai had once saved the King's life, but never been rewarded. Later when he was reminded of the deed, King Ahasuerus decided to honor Mordecai by letting him ride through the streets dressed in the King's own royal robes, riding on the King's horse, and wearing the royal crown.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 6:10-11, 8:15-17
Information: This painting records Mordecai's moment of triumph, as he rides through the streets in a special parade designed to honor him. It is about public recognition of a truly virtuous man - something the world does not often witness. Lastman was one of the first painters to invest the people in his paintings with individual personalities. Notice the wary look on Mordecai's face, the aggressive hand on hip of the man leading the horse - presumably Mordecia's bitter enemy Haman, or the alert face of the trooper who follows them.
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Title: 'The Feast of Esther'
Painter: Jan Lievens (1607-74)
Year: 1625
Incident shown: Esther has spoken, and her finger points towards the person she has accused. Her husband the King turns towards Haman for confirmation or denial; his face is calm, enquiring. Haman on the other hand is horrified by what he hears, since he knows he cannot deny the accusation Esther has made.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 7:1-7
Information: Lievens was precocious - he began his career as an independent painter at the age of twelve. He was a close friend of Rembrandt's and the two have much in common in their styles - as can be seen in the painting at left. There is the same sumptuous use of color - see Rembrandt's three paintings below. Lievens had a long and illustrious career, but when he died his debts were so appallingly large that his children appealed to the courts for the right to refuse their inheritance - which would of course entail paying all his debts.
See BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: JEWELRY for examples of ancient jewelry, closer to the jewels Esther wore
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Title: 'Esther Before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Artemisia Gentileschi
Year: 1628-35
Incident shown: Esther has come, unbidden, into the royal throne room, and now her courage fails her. She begins to fall into a faint, and perhaps this is just as well, since it arouses the King's sympathy. Is it merely a ploy on her part? Hardly, since the danger for her was real.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions, 15:1-7
Information: Artemisia Gentileschi was interested in the effect that light could have in a painting, and we see here how light in the far left corner of the painting draws the eye away from the center, which would normally be a focus for the eye. She heightens this effect by positioning each of the secondary figures around Esther, centering on her as she droops into unconsciousness. Gentileschi manages to convince us that both the main figures in the painting are sumptuous - not just in clothing and jewelry, but in their personae, in who they are. These are royals we can believe in. Quite an achievement.
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Title: 'The Feast of Esther'
Painter: Frans Francken II (1581-1642)
Year: c.1630
Incident shown: There are three scenes here. In the main image, Esther is seated at the banquet table as she entertains her husband the King and the villain of the story, Haman. Above right we see the insomniac King in his bedchamber, ordering that the records of the kingdom be read to him. Below right Mordecai rides in triumph through the streets, garbed in the royal robes and crown and riding the King's own horse.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 5-6
Information: Francken was best known for his small, finely
crafted pictures of historical, mythological, or biblical
themes, such as the one shown here - see the fine detail in every part
of the crowded canvas. His figures are not profoundly human as for
example Rembrandt's are. They are perhaps even a trifle superficial. But
they do convey the bustle of humanity as it goes about the business of
living.
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Title: 'Esther Preparing to Intercede with Assuerus
Painter: Rembrandt
Year: c.1633
Incident shown: Will she, or won't she go unbidden into the King's presence? Rembrandt shows the moment of decision as Esther weighs up the danger she is facing if she goes, and her own future and that of the Jewish people if she does not. She has fasted and prayed, and is now dressed in her most beautiful clothing, ready to act.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 5:1
Information: The crimson of Esther's dress, and her pale skin, are almost luminous against the dark background. Rembrandt loved to place his subjects against an undefined background, without the usual limits of walls and doors. This highlighted the timelessness of their situation. Despite the presence of her maid, Esther seems to hover in space. She is isolated, alone in what she must do. No-one can help her, or perform the task for her. This is the awful solitude of her position.
Notice that the painting was done in 1633 - the year that Rembrandt married his beloved Saskia. He used his wife for all sorts of subjects, both religious and classical, and made innumerable studies from her. Never did a great master make better use of his wife - she kept his house, mothered his children, and inspired his pictures.
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Title: 'Esther and Haman before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Jan Victors
Year: 1638
Incident shown: King Ahasuerus places a reassuring hand on Esther's arm as she tells him that Haman, the man now sitting at table with them, will be the cause of her death, and the death of all her people. Haman is horrified when he realizes he has an enemy, Esther, who will almost certainly bring about his own death.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 7:1-10
Information: The Persian court, as depicted in the story of Esther, was not a safe place to be. There were plots, poison, wholesale murder, public hangings, extermination of the families of unsuccessful courtiers, secrets and palace intrigue. On a good day. Esther survived because she was clever, beautiful and lucky - and had God on her side. Rembrandt captures some of the darkness of this gilded court in his somber painting of three of the main characters in her story.
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Title: 'Esther before Assuerus'
Painter: Nicolas Poussin
Year: c.1640
Incident shown: Esther collapses backwards into the arms of her handmaidens, as she faints with terror. Ahasuerus holds the royal golden sceptre in his hand - will he, or will he not, lower it to touch Esther's head, and so save her from death?
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: Never mind the composition (which is wonderful) - look at the color! The red pulses with energy and is the main focus of the picture - as a king's robe surely should. Esther's dress is gold, the color of luxury and royalty. Her maidservants are dressed in a voluptuous blue. Notice too the consummate foreshortening of the marble floor. Poussin's skill is breathtaking.
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Painter: Jan Victors
Year: 1640's
Incident shown: Esther reveals Haman's plan to her royal husband Ahasuerus, who seems aghast at the thought that he may have inadvertently ordered her death. Haman looks at her with new respect, and an awareness that she, not he, holds all the cards.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 7:1-10
Information: I'm sorry, but these people just do not convince me. They seem like good Dutch burghers, dressed for the occasion with glaringly un-Dutch ostentation. The painting simply does not work as a portrayal of the three most powerful people in the vast Persian Empire, in the act of conspiring and taking revenge. What are the people in this painting talking about? Difficulty with unreasonable neighbors? Rising interest rates? Barking dogs?
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Title: 'Esther Becomes Queen'
Painter: Bernardo Cavallino
Year: 1645-50
Incident shown: Esther has undergone all the training necessary for her role as Queen, has found favor in Ahasuerus' eyes, and is now accepted as his new, official partner, a replacement for the banished Queen Vashti.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 2:12-18
Information: This painting bears a close resemblance to pictures of saints being received by Christ in heaven - and in a way this must have been the image Cavallino had of Esther's rise to power. She had hit the jackpot, the painting implies, and was now ascending to the exalted position of Queen of Persia. There were many parallels drawn in religious iconography between Esther and Mary, mother of Jesus, and this painting echoes representations of Jesus receiving his mother into heaven.
See WOMEN IN THE BIBLE: MAJOR EVENTS, CHOOSING A HUSBAND. Compare the criteria for choosing a husband with the way that Ahasuerus chooses a wife.
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Painter: Rembrandt
Year: 1655
Incident shown: This is the moment of judgment. Haman begs for mercy, but he has been outmaneuvered by Esther, and must now die. The king, who has relied on Haman for many years, seems saddened by events, and by the fact that he must now sentence Haman to death.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 7:1-10
Information: Rembrandt has captured the implacable enmity that now exists between Esther and Haman. The expression on her face says it all. Haman has been check-mated, and his lowered status is plain. Ahasuerus seems to want to lower the royal scepter towards his old friend - an action that would signal forgiveness. But the scepter is frozen, and will not fall any further towards Haman's head.
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Painter: Rembrandt
Year: 1660
Incident shown: These are three of the four main protagonists in the story. At this moment in the story, Esther has revealed the danger she is in, and appealed to the King's love for her. He looks at the culprit Haman and raises the golden scepter - that may or may not spell reprieve for his old adviser. Haman himself sits with lowered head, waiting for his fate.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 5-6
Information: Apart from the dark background, the predominant color in this painting must be gold, closely followed by crimson. With this device, Rembrandt emphasizes the opulence and wealth of Ahasuerus' court, and the royal standing of the couple. The drama being played out by the three characters is expressed not by violent action, but by the restraint of their demeanor. It is the calm before the storm. Esther is radiant, her clothing and headdress gleaming with precious stones. Haman's persona has already withdrawn into the shadows.
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Title: 'Esther Before Ahasuerus'
Painter: Valentin Lefevre
Year: 1675
Incident shown: Esther has swooned in the presence of her husband Ahasuerur, but he reaches forward to touch her with the golden scepter, an act that signals that she will not die for her act of lèse-majesté.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: Only the dog in center foreground is bored. Everyone else is caught up in the swirl of movement and human drama captured so well in this painting by Lefevre. A voluptuous Esther swoons backwards into the arms of her maidservants, as the courtiers crane their necks to see what is happening. The energy and vigor of the King is captured in the swirling movement of his golden cloak. Over all looms the almost oppressive crimson of the wall hangings, which seem to dominate the humans in the picture.
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Title: 'The Banquet of Ahasuerus'
Painter: Aert de Gelder
Year: c.1680
Incident shown: Ahasuerus is banqueting with his courtiers, and has taken rather too much wine. He lolls drunkenly against the table, the wine spilling from his goblet. This is the moment when he will send for the beautiful Queen Vashti, to parade before his drunken friends and show how beautiful she is.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 1
Information: Too much wine makes silly people sillier, and
nowhere is this more true than in the story of Ahasuerus. Gone is the
nobility a king ought to show, gone is his dignity. He will be putty in
the hands of the courtiers lurking in the background. Some of them are
drunk as well but some are not, and they lurk like wolves ready to seize
their moment. It is these men who will persuade Ahasuerus he should get
rid of Queen Vashti - a woman with more sense and character than her
husband will ever have.
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Painter: Aert de Gelder
Year: 1684
Incident shown: Esther has 'pleased' King Ahasuerus, and he has chosen her as his future queen. The touch of ermine on the edges of Esther's cloak signal to the viewer that this is the moment when she is acknowledged as Queen, replacing the exiled Vashti.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 2:7-10
Information: This painting is similar to one Aert de Gelder painted in the same year, but it is more specifically linked to Esther by de Gelder's use of ermine, a symbol of royalty. The heavy clothing and the encroaching servant women lend the scene a claustrophobic air. Esther is trapped by her own power, and must now take on a double burden: royalty, and a foolish husband.
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Painter: Aert de Gelder
Year: 1685
Incident shown: Mordecai advises Esther that she and all the Jewish people are in mortal danger. He urges her to act. She alone can save them. But Esther is in a predicament, since she has not been summoned into the King's presence for thirty days, and to go unsummoned into his presence will leave her open to a sentence of death. The doubt she feels is clearly written on her face.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 4
Information: The body language in this painting by de Gelder is superb. Mordecai leans forward urgently to stress the importance of what he is saying: Esther must act quickly or they will all die. His left hand reaches out to emphasize what he is saying. Esther seems to be backing away from him, her left hand grasping the rail of the chair in apprehension. She does not want to do what he is urging because it may very well end in her own violent death, but she is beginning to realize that she has no choice in the matter. The moment is reminiscent of the words of Jesus on the eve of the Passion: "Father, if you will, let this chalice pass from me. But if it cannot, let your will be done."
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Title: 'The Swooning of Esther'
Painter: Antoine Coypel
Year: 1704
Incident shown: Esther has braved the inflexible protocol of palace etiquette, and gone unbidden into the King's presence, and now she sinks down onto the rich carpet in a faint. But not only the serving women have moved to support Esther - Ahasuerus himself has leapt forward to catch her falling body.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: Another of the 'Fainting Paintings'. Esther is rosy-cheeked with open eyes, not the usual thing for someone who has fainted from sheer terror but never mind, it is a most beautiful painting. The dark richness of the velvets and silks is wonderfully opulent, Esther's pale neck and breasts glow in the darkness, and Ahasuerus is suitably solicitous.
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Painter: Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787)
Year: 1738-40
Incident shown: Esther seems more faint than swooning in this depiction of the event in the royal throne room. Ahasuerus is detached here, more so than in other paintings, though he extends the golden scepter towards her.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: Batoni was one of the most prolific and respected painters in Rome in the mid-1700's. He specialized in portrait painting, but his portraits were mostly light-weight characterizations - good likenesses of the subject, but giving no real sense of the personality behind the eyes. The faces in the painting at left are typical of his work: beautifully arranged but giving no sense of the terrifying drama they are living through.
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Painter: Francesco Caucig (1755-1828)
Year: 1815
Incident shown: Ahasuerus has risen from his throne and is in the act of stepping forward towards his wife, who falls swooning against her handmaidens. They support her as best they can, as Haman, in the seat of honor beside the King, leans forward, wondering what has prompted this reckless action of Esther's.
Bible reference: Book of Esther with Additions 15:1-7
Information: This painting is in the Roman Neo-Classicist style, popular at the time. Paintings of classical or ancient biblical subjects were popular for a number of reasons - they certainly provided beautiful decoration, but they also attested to the owner's erudition and good taste. This is one of the so-called 'Fainting Paintings', in which a rosy-cheeked, beautiful woman appears to faint but may be merely feinting.
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Painter: Theodore Chasseriau
Year: 1841
Incident shown: Esther's beauty is apparent, as she is helped by her maidservants to complete her toilette. The process of preparation for entry into the King's harem lasted twelve months.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 2:7-10
Information: When Madame de Pompadour was plucked from obscurity and made the mistress of Louis XV, she was first put through a four-month-long period of training. During that time she learnt all the ins-and-outs of life in a royal court - who was who, the protocol for every event and action, the way to look and behave. Esther and the other candidates for the position of Ahasuarus' wife went through the same period of training. It was not simply a period of beautification, as this painting implies, but a complicated training program at which Esther excelled.
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Painter: Edward Armitage (1817-1896)
Year: 1865
Incident shown: Esther draws away from a terrified Haman as he begs for his life. Too late. The implacable anger on Ahasuerus' face tells the viewer that mercy will not be forthcoming.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 7:1-10
Information: Armitage has positioned the figures in this painting so that they all converge on the pale figure of Esther - who tries to draw herself away from them. Haman, the second most powerful man in the vast Persian Empire, has lost all sense of dignity and thrown himself at her feet, begging for mercy. Her pale right hand is raised in a gesture of refusal. There will be no mercy, and Haman himself will die on the very scaffold he has erected to hang her cousin Mordecai.
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Title: 'Vashti'
Painter: Edwin Long (1829-91)
Year: 1878
Incident shown: Vashti has refused to parade before her drunken husband's friends, and now suffers the consequences. She is banished from the King's presence forever, and becomes a forgotten woman, lodged in a back room of the royal harem.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 1
Information: Vashti had not, like Esther, been plucked from obscurity. She was from one of the great and noble families of a vast Empire, and had been trained from birth to assume the position of Queen. She was probably the leader of a powerful political faction at court. It was this power, and not really her disobedience of her husband's command, that was her downfall. Ahasuerus would never have thought to banish her had he not been egged on by courtiers who led another, opposing court faction. He was later to regret his hasty action, but his royal command, once spoken, could never be rescinded.
Compare Vashti's jewelry with the real thing: excavated jewelry of Queen Puabi at BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: JEWELRY
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Painter: Sir John Everett Millais (1829-96)
Year: 1865
Incident shown: Esther, dressed in royal robes, stands outside the entrance to the throne room of her husband, King Ahasuerus. She raises her right hand to untie the pearls which hold back her thick hair. In her left hand she holds her crown, which she is about to place on her head. This is the moment of decision.
Bible reference: Book of Esther 5:1-4
Information: The strong blue, gold and white of this painting accentuates the drama of this moment, as Esther pauses outside the royal throne room of her husband. The robe she wears in the painting was a real one, given to General Gordon by the grateful Chinese emperor after Gordon helped suppress the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64) - though Millais turned the garment inside out, and so it is the lining of the robe that is seen in this painting.
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Painter: Ernest Normand
Year: 1890
Incident shown: The former Queen, Vashti, born to a noble family and married for some time to King Ahasuerus, has been disgraced. She has refused to appear before her husband's drunken friends, and her enemies at court persuaded the King that this act of disobedience would set a bad example to all the women in his kingdom - who would refuse to obey their own husbands. They encouraged him to exile her from his presence forever, and so she was banished to a back room of the palace harem for the rest of her life.
Bible reference: Book of Esther, 1
Information: Normand's wonderful painting shows the deep despair of Vashti, who has lost everything - her political power, her dignity, her chance to bear children, her friends and supporters, her entire future. She is now a prisoner - well-fed and well-housed perhaps, but permanently trapped in the forgotten back rooms of the harem.
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Painter: Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
Year: 1964-7
Incident shown: King Ahasuerus/Assuerus has fallen in love with the beautiful young Esther, and she now occupies all his thoughts. He sees her everywhere, can think of nothing else. This is what love does to people.
Bible reference: Book of Esther
Information: Dali was profoundly influenced by two things that shaped his art and his approach to life: Freud's theory of the Unconscious, and the unconscious dream imagery of Surrealism. His paintings (and lithographs) appear as dreamlike fantasies - as this image clearly shows. At the same time, the technique he used was precise, realistic and highly skilled. In this lithograph a dream-like Esther has taken up residence in the mind of Ahasuerus, floating there, occupying all his thoughts - and in a sense trapped there.
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Title: 'Esther'
Painter: Raanan (1953-
Year: 1990-2003
Incident shown: This seems to be an impression of what Esther is, and what she means to the Jewish people, rather than an image of one particular incident.
Bible reference: Book of Esther
Information: Esther is a swirling mass of color and beauty,
glowing with light. This is the artist's expression of what she was. Her
Hebrew name 'Hadassah', comes from the word for 'myrtle', a tree whose
leaves only release their fragrance when they are crushed;
Esther's full potential only appeared when she and her people were in
terrible danger. The name 'Esther' means 'hidden': Esther's real
identity as a Jewess was hidden for years, and only revealed at the
right moment. She was queen over herself and thus, the Bible suggests,
suitable to be queen of others.
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Painter: Minerva Teichert (1888-1976)
Year: Unknown
Incident shown: This image shows Esther in all her regal beauty. Since she is accompanied by two maid servants, the picture probably refers to Esther's entrance into the throne room of her husband King Ahasuerus. Her calm dignity here says it all - see BIBLE TOP TEN HEROINES for Esther as one of the Bible's great heroines.
Bible reference: Book of Esther
Information: Google Minerva Teichert for an interesting biography of her extraordinary life - well worth reading. Her problems and interests would be familiar to many women - not enough time to pursue her own career, but a burning desire to express her ideas and talent. She kept books for her family's ranch, cooked for the workers on the ranch, raised their five children - and painted at night-time when her family was in bed. She explained her dedication with one sentence: "I must paint".
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EXTRA WEBSITES: stories, photographs, reconstructions
Choosing a husband
- contrast with Ahasuerus' choice of a wife!
MAJOR
EVENTS
Esther, one of the great heroines of the Bible BIBLE TOP TEN
HEROINES
A potted version of the story of Esther BIBLE PEOPLE: ESTHER
Esther's story in more detail, with ideas and activities BIBLE WOMEN: ESTHER
The once-fabulous Palace of Persepolis BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: PALACES
Stunning jewelry from the ancient world BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: JEWELRY
WIFE DISOBEYS HUSBAND!!!!
One night when the Persian king, Ahasuerus, was full of wine, he sent for his beautiful queen, Vashti, to show herself to his drunken friends. She refused to come.
Outraged and egged on by his courtiers, the king banished her.
But after a
little while he became lonely, so the courtiers suggested that a beauty contest
be held: the most beautiful
girl would become his new queen.
A young Jewish girl called
Esther was chosen. She was helped by her uncle Mordecai, but
nobody knew that they were related, or that Esther was a Jewess.
Mordecai was in the king's favor, since he had once saved the
king's life.
But Mordecai had an enemy, a powerful man called Haman.
Discovering
that Mordecai was Jewish, Haman fed
the mind of the king with ideas about people who were different.
Under his influence, the king decided to execute all Jews in his
kingdom - not realizing his beloved new queen Esther, and his
savior Mordecai, were both Jewish.
Mordecai went to Esther and told her she must do something to
save her people. She did not wish to, because it would place her
own life in danger - she was not allowed, on pain of death, to
go to the king unless she had been summoned. But she gathered
her courage together, went to the king's throne-room, and
fortunately was embraced by him. She invited him to a special
banquet where, of course, he would be the guest of honor.
Haman was to come as well.
'Drunk
with wine, he
sent for his
beautiful queen, Vashti, to appear before the men. She refused
to come. Humiliated,
the king banished her.
But now he was
lonely, so a beauty contest was held: the most beautiful girl
would become his new queen.'
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Haman
and the king attended the banquet, and Ahasuerus promised Esther
that she could have anything she wanted – even half his
kingdom.
Esther asked that the king and Haman attend a second banquet.
The king agreed. In high spirits, Haman returned to his home and
ordered the erection of a gallows, to hang Mordecai.
Meanwhile, Esther’s banquet had started. Ahasuerus again
promised Esther anything she wanted. She asked that her life be
spared and her people saved. From whom? asked the King. From
Haman, replied Esther.
Haman was trapped. He was taken out and hanged from the gallows
he had built for Mordecai.
The Jews were not only saved from death: they could attack those
people who had been their enemies, and claim their property. On
the very day that they were to have been annihilated, they
turned the tables by destroying all those who had sought to kill
them. Thousands were killed, including the ten sons of Haman.
From that day on, the Jewish people kept the day as a special
festival called Purim.
The story as told in the Book of Esther, and Esther with Additions
The following text contains extracts from the Book of Esther with
Additions
relevant to the paintings above - especially the so-called 'Fainting
Paintings'.
Esther with Additions, Chapter 2
A Nationwide Beauty Contest
1 After these things,
the king's anger abated, and he no longer was concerned about Vashti or
remembered what he had said and how he had condemned her.
2 Then the king's servants said 'Let beautiful and virtuous girls
be sought out for the king.
3 The king shall appoint officers in all the provinces of his
kingdom, and they shall select beautiful young virgins to be brought to
the harem in Susa, the capital. Let them be entrusted to the king's
eunuch who is in charge of the women, and let ointments and whatever
else they need to given them.
4 And the woman who pleases the king shall be queen instead of
Vashti. this pleased the king, and he did so.
5 Now there was a Jew
in Susa the capital whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei
son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin;
6 he had been taken captive from Jerusalem among those whom King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had captured.
7 And he had a
fost child, the daughter of his father's brother, Aminadab, and her name
was Esther. When her parents died, he brought her up to womanhood as his
own. The girl was beautiful in appearance.
8 So, when the decree of the king was proclaimed, and many girls
were gathered in Susa the capital in custody of Gai, Esther also was
brought to Gai, who had custody of the women.
The Preparations
9 The girl pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with ointments and her portion of food, as well as seven maids chosen from the palace; he treated her and her maids with special favor in the harem.
12 ......Now the
period after which a girl was to go to the king was twelve months.
During this time the days of beautification are completed -- six months
while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and six months
with spices and ointments for women.
13 Then she goes in to the king; she is handed to the persona
appointed, and goes with him from the harem to the king's palace.
14 In the evening she enters and in the morning she departs to the second harem, where Gai the king's eunuch is in charge of the women; and she does not go in to the king again unless she is summoned by name.
Esther wins the Contest
15 When the time was
fulfilled for Esther daughter of Aminadab, the brother of Mordecai's
father, to go in to the king, she neglected none of the things that Gai,
the eunuch in charge of the women, had commanded. Now Esther found favor
in the eyes of all who saw her.
16 So Esther went in to King Artaxerxes in the twelth month, which
is Adar, in the seventh year of his reigh.
17 And the king loved Esther and she found favor beyond all the
other virgins, so he put on her the queen's diadem.
Esther's Prayer
1 Then Queen Esther,
seized with deadly anxiety, fled to the Lord.
2 She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of
distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her
head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body; every part
that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair.
3 She prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: 'O my Lord, you only are our king; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you.
Esther is Received by the King
1 On the third day,
when she ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had
worshiped, and arrayed herself in splendid attire.
2 Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the
all-seeing God and Savior, she took two maids with her;
3 on one she leaned gently for support,
4 while the other followed, carrying her train.
5 She was radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy, as if
beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear.*
6 When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in the full array of his majesty, all covered with gold and precious stones. He was most terrifying.
Esther Faints
7 Lifting his face,
flushed with splendor, he looked at her in fierce anger. The queen
faltered, and turned pale and faint, and collapsed on the head of the
maid who went in front of her.
8 Then God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in
alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came
to herself. He comforted her with soothing words, and said to her,
9 'What is it, Esther? I am your husband. Take courage;
10 You shall not die, for our law applies only to our subjects.
Come near".
11 Then he raised the golden scepter and touched her neck with it;
12 he embraced her, and said 'Speak to me....'
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* Note: There was a law that anyone coming unbidden into the King's presence would be instantly killed. Esther had not been bidden to his presence, and therefore risked death.
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Bible
Art: Paintings and Artworks from the Old and New Testament - Bible Study Resource
Esther: queen of Ahasuerus, niece of Mordecai, saves the Jewish people