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Esther before Ahasuerus

1620s
Not on view
The most famous woman painter of the seventeenth century, Gentileschi worked in Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, and London. This painting, among her most ambitious, represents the Jewish heroine Esther, who appeared before her husband, King Ahasuerus of Persia, in order to stave off a massacre of the Jewish people, breaking with court protocol and thereby risking death. Rather than historical recreation, contemporary theater informed how Gentileschi conceived this dramatic scene in which Esther faints just before the king grants her request. A servant of African descent restraining a dog was painted out by the artist, but is partly visible beneath the marble pavement to the left of the king’s knee.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Esther before Ahasuerus
  • Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi (Italian, born Rome 1593–died Naples 1654 or later)
  • Date: 1620s
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 82 in. × 8 ft. 11 3/4 in. (208.3 × 273.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Elinor Dorrance Ingersoll, 1969
  • Object Number: 69.281
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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