Esther before Ahasuerus / Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1978/2.41
- Title
- Esther before Ahasuerus
- Artist Nationality
- Italian
- Artist Life Dates
- 1591-1666
- Medium and Support
- pen, brown ink and brown wash on cream colored laid paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1639
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Italy (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Italy (nation)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Dimensions
- 21.6 cm x 25.9 cm (8 1/2 in. x 10 3/16 in.)
- Century
- 17th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Drawing
- Primary Object Type
- prepatory drawing
- Physical Description
- A seated king, at the left, holds the hand of a swooning woman who is supported by another woman. The supporting woman looks back at the king.
- Subject Matter
- Derived from the Old Testament story of the Jewish heroine, Esther, Guercino depicts the dramatic moment when Esther enters the king's presence unbidden and faints in distress. Although she is his queen, no one may approach the king without his permission.
- The Museum of Art is fortunate to have two preparatory drawings for the Guercino painting of "Esther Before Ahasuerus" (the other is 2008/1.161). In this work, Guercino is exploring the psychological relationships between the principal figures: Ahasuerus, his queen Esther, and one of two attendants who support the queen. Between these two studies, it is possible to examine Guercino's process of arriving at his final composition. This sheet carefully explores the responses of the three figures, concentrating on the gesture of clemency as Ahasuerus reaches out to Esther with both his scepter and, in more personal concern, with his hand.
- Secondary Keywords
- allegory and literature
- aristocracy
- artistic concepts
- artistic devices
- associated concepts
- concepts in the arts
- document genres
- document genres by function
- figures
- groups of people
- information forms
- monarchs
- nobility
- objects
- objects we use
- old testament
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people and occupations
- people by occupation
- people in government and administration
- political figures
- religious texts
- rulers (people)
- social classes
- social classes by specific type
- social groups
- symbolism
- upper class
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1055 x 871
- File Size
- 83 KB
- Record
- 1978/2.41
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.41/1978_2.41.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1978-SL-2.41:1978_2.41.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Esther before Ahasuerus; Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1978-sl-2.41/1978_2.41.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 18, 2024.
