Flemish, Brussels
Esther Fainting before Ahasuerus, 1510-1525
Wool warp (6.5 yarns per cm); wool and silk wefts , 348 x 335.3 cm (137 x 132 in.)
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
This tapestry, done in tan, blue, red and gold wool and silk, depicts many light-skinned figures dressed in elaborately detailed outfits and hats. The main focus is a king seated on a highly decorated elevated throne holding a golden scepter in his outstretched hand. He is dressed in long tan and blue robes trimmed in gold. He has light brown chin length hair and wears a jewel encrusted crown with a large necklace around his chest. He looks sadly downward at a female figure in front of him who appears to have swooned into the arms of a handmaiden who wears a red and blue gown and a gold trimmed white cap. The fainting woman wears a long tan and blue gown that is trimmed in gold and a jeweled headpiece. Surrounding them are many male and female figures dressed in fancy clothes and hats. One male figure in the foreground to our right is kneeling with his hands outstretched toward the fainting woman. His smaller size may indicate his youthful age. He wears a blue robe with gold trim and has shoulder length brown hair. In the upper corner to our left hangs a tapestry that depicts several male and female figures. A standing male wearing a long blue robe clasps his hands in prayer position. There is one male standing to our right and another kneeling in front of him. There are three standing females to our left; one holding her hands in prayer position. The outside edge of this tapestry is decorated with a floral, fruit and vine border.
Third Floor Stairhall and Stairway
Commentary
The tapestry depicts a scene from the Book of Esther (in the Apochrypha), in which Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia, pleads before her husband Ahasuerus for the repeal of his decree ordering the massacre of all Jews in his kingdom. Esther swoons on the arm of one of her handmaidens at the lower right – a reaction to the king’s initial rage at seeing her before the throne, a violation of his rule that no one come to him unbidden. However, God softened his heart, and Ahasuerus holds out his golden scepter to welcome her forward. Ahasuerus had been urged to issue the decree by Haman, a courtier opposed to Esther and her people; he stands to the king’s right beside the throne. In the upper left corner of the tapestry, a messenger brings news of Esther’s success to a gathering of the Jewish people. The repeal of the decree, and thus the salvation of the Jews, is celebrated each year as the festival of Purim.
The tapestry is a virtuoso display of design and weaving. Thirty-three figures are depicted, all wearing different, elaborately detailed outfits. The background varies from rich landscapes to interiors adorned with patterned velvets and brocades. The borders are equally elaborate; the stalks of fruits and flowers are typical of tapestries woven in Brussels at this time.
Source: Richard Lingner, "Esther Fainting before Ahasuerus," in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 115.
The tapestry is a virtuoso display of design and weaving. Thirty-three figures are depicted, all wearing different, elaborately detailed outfits. The background varies from rich landscapes to interiors adorned with patterned velvets and brocades. The borders are equally elaborate; the stalks of fruits and flowers are typical of tapestries woven in Brussels at this time.
Source: Richard Lingner, "Esther Fainting before Ahasuerus," in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 115.