Artwork Page for Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

Details / Information for Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

c. 1668

Jan Steen

(Dutch, 1626–1679)
Culture
Netherlands
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
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.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1964.153
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
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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.
A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a crowded banquet. On the left, Esther, a woman with a light skin tone in an orange gown, sits at a table. Centered, Ahasuerus, a man with a medium skin tone in a turban, stands with one arm raised. To our right, Haman, a man with a light skin tone in a red turban, recoils with a hand to his forehead. Numerous onlookers fill the background.

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

c. 1668

Jan Steen

(Dutch, 1626–1679)
Netherlands

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