Esther and Ahasuerus / Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2008/1.161
- Title
- Esther and Ahasuerus
- Artist Nationality
- Italian
- Artist Life Dates
- 1591 - 1666
- Medium and Support
- pen and ink on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1639
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Italy (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Italy (nation)
- Dimensions
- 8.7 cm x 10.5 cm (3 7/16 in. x 4 1/8 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Drawing
- Primary Object Type
- prepatory drawing
- Physical Description
- Drawing of a male figure on left wearing a headress and holding a stick-like object with three female figures on the right, two of which are standing behind the third as if holding her up.
- 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 1978/2.41). In this work, Guercino is exploring the compositional flow through the relationships between the principal figures: Ahasuerus, his queen Esther, and 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 rapid study of the arrangement of the figures shows great movement as the king inclines towards Esther, and as she faints towards the right. The emotional intensity of the scene in this small drawing is apparent in the loose, fluid loops of the pen that describe the drapery as well as in the positions of the figures. The scepter, the formal emblem of clemency occupies the void between the figures.
- Secondary Keywords
- drawings
- drawings by function
- monarchs
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by gender
- people by occupation
- people in government and administration
- rulers (people)
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- 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
- Record
- 2008/1.161
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.161/2008_1.161.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Esther and Ahasuerus; Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2008-sl-1.161/2008_1.161.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.