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Jul 26, 2013

Jan 18, 2007

Jul 26, 2013

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

c. 1668

Jan Steen

(Dutch, 1626–1679)

Netherlands, 17th century

Oil on canvas

Framed: 96.5 x 119.5 x 11 cm (38 x 47 1/16 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 70 x 93 cm (27 9/16 x 36 5/8 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1964.153

Location

215 French, German, and Dutch

Did you know?

At the center of this biblical scene, Steen included elements of a typical Dutch still life: a Roemer glass, a half-peeled lemon, and a blue-and-white porcelain dish.

Description

Esther, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, effectively concealed her Jewish identity until the prime minister Haman hatched a plot to annihilate the kingdom’s Jews. To save her people Esther persuades the king (at the center) to rescind his order. He then turns against Haman, who slumps in his seat, aware of his sudden fall from power and his bleak future.

Citations

Bredius, Abraham, Jan Steen (Amsterdam, 1927) p. 29, pl. 7

Martin, Willem, "Neues uber Jan Steen," Zeitschrift fur Bildende Kunst, LXI (1927-28) 325

Thieme, Ulrich, and Felix Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler, XXXI (Leipzig, 1937) 511

Albert Heppner, "The Popular Theater of the Rederijkers in the Work of Jan Steen," Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, III (1939-40) p. 42, pl. 4d

Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings, and Miniatures in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham (Cambridge, 1952) p. 102

Pigler, Andor. Barockthemen. Budapest, 1956. p. 203

van Braam, Fred A., ed., World Collectors Annuary, XII (1960) 440, no. 4961

Weltkunst, XXXII (April 1962) 17

"Notable Works of Art Now on the Market," Burlington Magazine, CVI (1964) 303, color pl. I

Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisition Press Release,” June 29, 1964, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org

Lurie, Ann Tzeutschler, "Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman," CMA Bulletin, LII (1965) 94-100, color illus. p. 93, and fig. 9

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 124 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 125 archive.org

Kirschenbaum, Baruch D., The Religious and Historical Paintings of Jan Steen (New York, 1977) pp. 13, 48, 50, 66, 70, 78, 8o, 88, 119 cat. no. 19a, 252, and fig. 74

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 162 archive.org

Handbook of The Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, 1978) illus. p. 162

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 274; Mentioned: p. 275

Marijnissen, Peter, De Zichtebaere werelt: Schilderk uit de Gouden Eeuw in Hollands oudste stad, (Zwolle:Waanders; Dordrechts Museum, 1992) p. 174

Chapman, Perry, H., Wouter Th. Kloek, Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, (Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1996) p. 244, fig. 3

Westermann, Mariët, The Amusements of Jan Steen (Zwolle, Waanders Publishers, 1997) no. 165, p. 285

Wenley, Robert. Pride & Persecution: Jan Steen's Old Testament Scenes. Birmingham: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts; London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2017. Reproduced: p. 50, fig. 28

Gulick, Rosalie van. "Catalogue." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 114-121. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Reproduced: p. 115, 120-121, cat. 9

Suchtelen, Ariane van. "A Storyteller of Genius: Jan Steen and the Art of History Painting." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 11-31. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Mentioned: p. 18-19, 22, 29

Westermann, Mariet. "Steen's Great History Pageant." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 11-31. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Mentioned: p. 64

Exhibition history

Leyden, Museum de Lakehal, 1926: "Jan Steen," cat. no. 37.

Amsterdam, Rijkmuseum, 1929: "Tentoonstelling van Oude Kunst," cat. no. 140.

Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1939: "Bijbelse Kunst," cat. no. 60 f.

Delft, Prinsenhof, 1952: "Prisma der Bibelse Kunst," cat. no. 88, pl. 50.

Amsterdam, Douwes Brothers, 1955: "Jubileum Tentoonstelling," cat. no. 59.

Tel-Aviv Museum, 1959: "Holland's Golden Age," cat. no. 106.

Milwaukee Art Center, 1976: "The Bible through Dutch Eyes," cat. no. 59, repr.

Amsterdam, Douwes Brothers, 1962: "The Hundred Best Works of Jan Steen," cat. no. 7.

Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).

Dutch Art and Life in the Seventeenth Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 10-September 2, 1973).

Gods, Saints, and Heroes: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (organizer) (November 2, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (February 16-April 19, 1981); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (May 18-July 19, 1981).

Hollandse Meesters uit Ametrika (Great Dutch Paintings in America). Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands (co-organizer) (September 25, 1990-January 13, 1991); The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (co-organizer) (February 16-May 5, 1991).

Jan Steen’s Histories. Mauritshuis, Den Hague, Netherlands (organizer) (February 15-May 13, 2018).

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{{cite web|title=Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.153|author=Jan Steen|year=c. 1668|access-date=21 September 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

Jan Steen

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