Esther's Second Banquet in Art/0/en

Esther's Second Banquet in Art

Introduction

The book of Esther reaches its climax in Chapter 7 when Esther beseeches Achashverosh for her life and, in the process, accuses Haman. This banquet scene is a favorite of artists, and is shown here as depicted by, J. Victors,¹ E. Normand² and J. Steen.³ Each of the artists focuses on the threesome of Esther, Achashverosh and Haman, but differs both in the choice of which secondary characters and objects to include, and in the depiction of the figures' interactions, stance and expressions. These variations allow for different understandings of both Esther and Achashverosh's character and motives.

Contrasting Images

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Relationship to the Biblical Text

The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

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¹ Jan Victors(1619-1679) was a Dutch painter who painted mainly Biblical subjects, but also portraits, historical scenes and genre paintings. He was influenced by Rembrandt van Rijn. This work can be found in Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel, Germany.

² Ernest Normand (1859–1923) was an English painter. This image is housed in the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Tyne and Wear, UK.

³ Jan Steen (1626 –1679) was a Dutch genre painter, known for both his humor and use of color. Though he focused on painting scenes from everyday life, he also painted historical, mythological, and religious subjects. This painting is housed in Museum Bredius in The Hague.