The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman

c. 1668
(Dutch, 1626–1679)
Framed: 96.5 x 119.5 x 11 cm (38 x 47 1/16 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 70 x 93 cm (27 9/16 x 36 5/8 in.)

Did You Know?

At the center of this biblical scene, Steen included elements of a typical Dutch still life: a Roemer glass, a half-peeled lemon, and a blue-and-white porcelain dish.

Description

Esther, the wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, effectively concealed her Jewish identity until the prime minister Haman hatched a plot to annihilate the kingdom’s Jews. To save her people Esther persuades the king (at the center) to rescind his order. He then turns against Haman, who slumps in his seat, aware of his sudden fall from power and his bleak future.
  • Bredius, Abraham, Jan Steen (Amsterdam, 1927) p. 29, pl. 7
    Martin, Willem, "Neues uber Jan Steen," Zeitschrift fur Bildende Kunst, LXI (1927-28) 325
    Thieme, Ulrich, and Felix Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler, XXXI (Leipzig, 1937) 511
    Albert Heppner, "The Popular Theater of the Rederijkers in the Work of Jan Steen," Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, III (1939-40) p. 42, pl. 4d
    Catalogue of the Paintings, Drawings, and Miniatures in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham (Cambridge, 1952) p. 102
    Pigler, Andor. Barockthemen. Budapest, 1956. p. 203
    van Braam, Fred A., ed., World Collectors Annuary, XII (1960) 440, no. 4961
    Weltkunst, XXXII (April 1962) 17
    "Notable Works of Art Now on the Market," Burlington Magazine, CVI (1964) 303, color pl. I
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisition Press Release,” June 29, 1964, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Lurie, Ann Tzeutschler, "Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman," CMA Bulletin, LII (1965) 94-100, color illus. p. 93, and fig. 9
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 124 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 125 archive.org
    Kirschenbaum, Baruch D., The Religious and Historical Paintings of Jan Steen (New York, 1977) pp. 13, 48, 50, 66, 70, 78, 8o, 88, 119 cat. no. 19a, 252, and fig. 74
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 162 archive.org
    Handbook of The Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, 1978) illus. p. 162
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 274; Mentioned: p. 275
    Marijnissen, Peter, De Zichtebaere werelt: Schilderk uit de Gouden Eeuw in Hollands oudste stad, (Zwolle:Waanders; Dordrechts Museum, 1992) p. 174
    Chapman, Perry, H., Wouter Th. Kloek, Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, (Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1996) p. 244, fig. 3
    Westermann, Mariët, The Amusements of Jan Steen (Zwolle, Waanders Publishers, 1997) no. 165, p. 285
    Wenley, Robert. Pride & Persecution: Jan Steen's Old Testament Scenes. Birmingham: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts; London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2017. Reproduced: p. 50, fig. 28
    Gulick, Rosalie van. "Catalogue." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 114-121. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Reproduced: p. 115, 120-121, cat. 9
    Suchtelen, Ariane van. "A Storyteller of Genius: Jan Steen and the Art of History Painting." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 11-31. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Mentioned: p. 18-19, 22, 29
    Westermann, Mariet. "Steen's Great History Pageant." In Jan Steen's Histories. Ariane van Suchtelen, ed., 11-31. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers; The Hague: Mauritshuis Foundation, 2018. Mentioned: p. 64
  • Jan Steen’s Histories. Mauritshuis, Den Hague, Netherlands (organizer) (February 15-May 13, 2018).
    Hollandse Meesters uit Ametrika (Great Dutch Paintings in America). Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands (co-organizer) (September 25, 1990-January 13, 1991); The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (organizer) (co-organizer) (February 16-May 5, 1991).
    Gods, Saints, and Heroes: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (organizer) (November 2, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (February 16-April 19, 1981); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (May 18-July 19, 1981).
    Milwaukee Art Center, 1976: "The Bible through Dutch Eyes," cat. no. 59, repr.
    Dutch Art and Life in the Seventeenth Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 10-September 2, 1973).
    Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
    Amsterdam, Douwes Brothers, 1962: "The Hundred Best Works of Jan Steen," cat. no. 7.
    Tel-Aviv Museum, 1959: "Holland's Golden Age," cat. no. 106.
    Amsterdam, Douwes Brothers, 1955: "Jubileum Tentoonstelling," cat. no. 59.
    Delft, Prinsenhof, 1952: "Prisma der Bibelse Kunst," cat. no. 88, pl. 50.
    Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1939: "Bijbelse Kunst," cat. no. 60 f.
    Amsterdam, Rijkmuseum, 1929: "Tentoonstelling van Oude Kunst," cat. no. 140.
    Leyden, Museum de Lakehal, 1926: "Jan Steen," cat. no. 37.
  • {{cite web|title=Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman|url=false|author=Jan Steen|year=c. 1668|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.153