The king sits on his throne and holds out the sceptre.
Bible in art · Esther
Esther before Ahasuerus
Lucas van Leyden · 1518
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Lucas van Leyden engraved this plate in Leiden in 1518; the date and his “L” are at the bottom. The scene is set in a Netherlandish hall, with a town seen above the wall.
King Ahasuerus sits on his throne and holds out his long sceptre. Queen Esther kneels and touches its tip. Two young women follow her, and the king’s courtiers in rich hats and chains crowd behind.
From the text
- Esther stood in the inner court in her royal attire (Esther 5:1)
- The king held out the gold scepter, and she touched its tip (Esther 5:2)
- “Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given to you” (Esther 5:3)
The artist’s own
- Ahasuerus as a Netherlandish lord in a broad cap
- Esther kneeling — in the text she stands and comes forward
- Two maids behind her; courtiers with gold chains
Details
Ahasuerus
Esther
She kneels and touches the sceptre’s tip.
Her maids
Two young women follow her.
The court
Courtiers in rich hats and chains look on.
Lucas van Leyden, Netherlandish, c. 1489/94–1533. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.5622) · Engraving · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)