Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
**ESTHER BEFORE AHASUERUS**
1620
Oil on panel

This is one of six oil sketches in the
collection relating to Rubens' decoration of
the Jesuit church in Antwerp in 1620.
Rubens was commissioned to provide 39
paintings for the church's ceilings. The
contract required Rubens to paint only the
sketches himself. This example shows the
scene from the Old Testament Book of
Esther in which the beautiful Jewess Esther
reveals her identity to the Persian King
Ahasuerus, as she pleads for the salvation
of her people from annihilation at the hands
of Haman, the King's minister.

Samuel Courtauld Trust: Princes Gate Bequest, 1978