Esther Before Ahasuerus

The famous silvery tones of Lucas van Leyden's engravings are exemplified in this scene taken from the Old Testament Book of Esther (8:1-8). Seated at the left is King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) of Persia (486-465 B.C.E.) who had been persuaded to decree that all Jews in his Empire be killed. Unknown to him, his beautiful, beloved wife Esther (Hadassah) was Jewish. Here, Esther courageously kneels before Ahasuerus, who touches her with his staff to indicate that she may speak. Esther subsequently pleads for her own clemency and that of her people, and the King's tender gesture of taking her hand in his foretells his decision to grant her plea. This deliverance is celebrated each year as the Jewish Feast of Purim, and a century after this print was created, it came to symbolize the call for liberation from Spain by the Dutch, who identified themselves with the persecuted people of Israel.