Depicting Esther Artistically: The Defining Moment

Miranda Flamholz

Throughout history, there have been different depictions of Queen Esther in

art because of the multiple interpretations, both Jewish and non-Jewish, of her role in

the biblical story. An analysis of the artistic elements of the works sheds light on the

artist’s view of Esther’s character, and on the story of Esther as a whole. In

particular, artistic portrayals of the scene in which Esther risks her life and approaches

the King in order to save the Jewish people illustrates Esther’s character and the

essence of her story.

Esther 5:1-2 is a climactic point in the biblical narrative in which Esther is

paradigmatically portrayed as the strong protagonist when she approaches the King

without being summoned. This is one of her feats of heroism and shows her strength

and courage. After fasting for three days, and praying to God for success in her

mission, she comes before the King in his palace with the ultimate beseech: to save

her people and expose the guilt of the King’s closest advisor. There are many ways to

depict this critical moment, as there are many interpretations, both Jewish and non-

Jewish, that comment on the scene. I chose to depict it in a way that incorporates

various influences.

There is much discussion among commentators on the book of Esther, Chapter

5 verses 1-2, regarding Esther’s physical appearance and her location, described in the

verse as “Esther put on her royal apparel.” Interpreters offer additional views on the

manner in which she approached the King, as it says “and [she] stood in the inner

court of the king's house, over against the king's house; and the king sat upon his royal

throne in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house.” Various opinions

also emerge regarding the King’s reaction to her request. As it says, “when the king

saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the

king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near,

and touched the top of the scepter.” These three aspects of the encounter must be

analyzed in order to get a full sense of the scene and its significance.

M’nos Halevi notes that Esther dressed in “royalty” because Mordecai had

stressed the importance of the mission to save the Jews and she wanted to make a

good impression even though she had previously refrained from wearing such

garments as Queen.1 iThe Midrash Rabbah further explains the nature of these royal

garments and says that Esther was dressed in adi teferes, which either refers to a

glorious headdress or a cloak, with a golden hemmed long train attached. She had two

maidservants with her and she placed her right hand on one for support, as was the

royal custom. The second carried her train. She appeared happy in an attempt to hide

the anxiety in her heart.2

Other commentaries interpret the “royalty” to have a metaphorical rather than

a literal meaning. Malbim interprets the statement that Esther was “robed in majesty”

to mean that she had an aura of majesty such that all who saw her recognized that she

was ideally suited to be queen.3 There also could have been a spiritual connotation to

this phrase. Some of our Sages explain that the verse was not referring to Esther’s

royal clothing but rather that she had ruach hakodesh, or divine spirit, that

1 Referenced in Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir. The Book of Esther/A New Translation With a Commentary

Anthologized from Talmudic, Midrashic, and Rabbinic Sources. New York: Mesorah Publications Ltd.,

1976. 832 Feldheim Publishers, The Midrash Rabbah/Complete Vowelized Midrash Text. Jerusalem: Machon

HaMidrah HaMevo'ar, 2002. 9:13 Translated and Annotated by Jonothan Taub. The Malbim Esther. Southfield: Targum Press, 1998.

102-103

accompanied her.4 Similarly, Rabbi David Feinstein notes that it was the first night of

Passover, the “Night of protections,” and therefore, she had extra divine spirit with

her, which is what gave her the courage to confront the King.5

When Esther entered the palace the word vataamod, literally meaning “and

she stood,” is interpreted by the M'nos Halevi to mean that she was praying.6 The

Midrash elaborates that when Esther entered the King’s chamber of idols she lost the

divine spirit, so she prayed and said, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken

me?”7 In the midrashic expansion, Esther encountered obstacles on her way to the

King and she had to pass through seven departments in the palace. The courtiers

hoped that she would be executed like Vashti and that they would be able to apportion

her clothing and jewelry among themselves; those close to Ahasuerus encircled her

and harassed her on her way to the King, while Haman’s sons awaited her downfall.

After she came to the fourth department, Ahasuerus’ ire was aroused and he

remembered Vashti, who did not come to him despite his repeated requests, while

Esther came to him without permission. Esther stood in the middle of the fourth

department; the guards of the first department could no longer touch her, while those

of the last department could not yet approach her. Ahasuerus’ close advisors

attempted sorcery, so that her hands and feet would look like leather hides, but a

miracle was performed for her and her feet began to shine like sapphires.8

In Talmud Megilla, the Rabbis interpret that Esther was so worn out and tired

after her three day fast that she was in no position to get to the King’s palace, let alone

make a request of him. Therefore, God sent her with three angels to help her. One

4 Weinbach, Mendel. 127 insights into Megillas Esther. Southfield: Targum Press, 1990. 1175 Walfish, 34-356 Zlotowitz, 837 Also found in Psalms 22:28 Midrash Tehilim, on Psalms. 22:7, 24–26

raised her head erect and one endowed her with miraculous charm. When the golden

scepter was extended toward Esther, she would have to touch it in order to accept the

King’s offering and make her request, but she was too far away to do so. Therefore,

the third angel was sent to extend the scepter so that it touched Esther’s fingertips.9

Other commentaries focus on the King’s reaction to Esther’s intrusion and

what ensues thereafter. The Malbim interprets Ahasuerus’ gesture as a sign that the

King loved Esther so much that it never occurred to him that the decree that

prohibited people from entering his inner court without permission applied to her.10

Therefore, when he saw her standing humbly in the court waiting for permission, she

found favor in his eyes and he extended his golden scepter. However, Midrash

Rabbah explains that when Ahasuerus saw Esther standing before him, his wrath

burned inside of him because she violated the law. When Esther saw him his eyes

were burning like fire, and she became very frightened and her spirit became faint.

She was so weak that she put her head on her maidservant’s shoulder. God saw this

and took pity on the Jews and granted Esther favor in the eyes of the King. Then, not

only did the King extend the scepter, but ran to her side. He hugged and kissed her

and said “Queen Esther! Why be afraid of me? That law we enacted does not apply to

you…”11 The Midrash in Panim Aherim follows the theme of angels and the inclusion

of the godly presence and suggests that when Esther entered the palace, Ahasuerus

first tried to turn his face so that he would not look upon her, but the ministering

angels forcibly turned his head, until he cried out. He was blinded, but when he

looked in her direction his vision was restored and he extended his scepter.12

9 Weinbach, 11710 Taub, 103-10411 Midrash Rabbah, 9:112 Midrash Panim Aherim, version B, para. 5

In my own artistic portrayal of Esther, I took into account many other

paintings that depicted this scene. Looking at various paintings from different time

periods, I noticed some qualities about the scene that these paintings shared. Many

paintings, including Poussin’s ‘Esther Before Ahasuerus’, depict Esther fainting and

leaning on the arm of her maidservant.13 This idea likely came from the Apocryphal

additions to the original scriptures based on the Septuagint.14 However, it is also

present in one of the Jewish interpretations in Midrash Rabbah. Such a portrayal of

Esther is likely used to express the nerves in Esther’s heart, and her uneasiness

approaching the King without being called, as well as the fact that she had been

fasting for the last three days before entering the palace. The Jewish interpretation,

however, usually depicts Esther as a strong, powerful woman.

'Esther Before Ahasuerus' by Pompeo Batoni,15 as well as other paintings,

depict lions surrounding the King’s throne or adorning his palace, some of which are

winged creatures. There is a biblical source for such creatures described in the book

13 Nicolas Poussin. Esther Before Ahasuerus. 1655. Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

14 Can be seen in the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition of the Bible, addition 1515 Pompeo Batoni, Esther Before Ahasuerus. 1738-40. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

of Daniel, as one of the four kings that will “arise out of the earth” and rule over the

Jewish people.16 The lion creature is known to be the Babylonian Empire while the

next creature, a bear with ribs in its mouth, is said to represent Persia.17 Similar

creatures are also included in Persian mythology and have come to symbolize the king

of all creatures. Sculptures of similar creatures have been found in the remains of

Persian Palaces, mainly of Darius I.

Many of the paintings depict maidservants accompanying Esther. This was the

custom in many ancient kingdoms, and therefore is manifested in the artwork

portraying that time. The common etiquette was for the queen to have maidservants

accompanying her at all times. We are introduced to these maidservants earlier in the

story.18 The Midrash picks up on this custom and includes the maidservants in the

story of Esther approaching the King as well.19

In light of such influences, in my own vision of this tale, I depicted Esther

standing before the king, tired and worn out from fasting, yet dressed in her beautiful

clothing with a long train lined with gold. This can be seen through the interpretations

16 Daniel Chapter 717 Rashi Daniel 7:518 Esther 2:919 Midrash Rabbah, 9:1

and sources cited above. As part of her elaborate adornments, Esther’s crown is lined

with Hebrew letters, spelling out parts of the phrase “אלי אלי למה עזבתני’’ “ “My

God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” which is said to be the phrase that she

was saying as she prayed. This shows that she is constantly focused on the words of

God, and his protection, even in times when she fears that she has lost the divine

spirit. Esther is standing on the fourth out of seven steps to the throne, corresponding

to the Midrash Tehillim which explains that Esther was in the fourth out of seven

chambers of the palace when she approached Ahasuerus’ throne. This also represents

the idea noted in the Zohar that as Esther was walking through the palace she was

ascending in the “sfirot” of prayer.20 Additionally, I depicted three women helping

her. These women represent the maidservants that accompanied her and assisted her,

as they can be seen guiding her and holding her train, as was the custom in Persian

culture.21 However, they also represent the three angels that God sent with her to

bestow her with charm, and extend the King's scepter to touch her hand.22

After researching numerous interpretations of the scene of Esther approaching

King Ahasuerus, as well as the ways in which several artists depicted this dramatic

point in the narrative, I gained many insights into Esther's character the Megilla in its

entirety. I used biblical and Midrashic commentaries and diverse artists' unique

interpretative styles as inspiration for my own artwork. My depiction represents the

way I have come to view Esther’s role in this climactic scene and illustrates aspects

that are not explicit in the text, yet contribute to a richer understanding of the story.

20 Walfish, Barry Dov. Esther in Medieval Garb/Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Esther in the

Middle Ages. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993. 36-3721 Midrash Rabbah, 9:122 Weinbach, 117

 

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