Esther and Mordecai

This 1654 Esther and Mordecai at the Hermitage depicts the Jewish queen and her uncle from the Book of Esther—the story of a Jewish woman who becomes Queen of Persia and saves her people from genocide by courageously revealing her identity to her husband, the king. The subject carried political resonance for the Dutch Republic, which identified with the story of a small nation courageously defending itself against powerful adversaries. Esther was also a popular subject because of its strong female protagonist in a position of unusual political agency. Bol's treatment at the Hermitage documents the penetration of Dutch Golden Age painting into the Russian Imperial collection assembled by Peter the Great and his successors.

The biblical narrative is rendered with Bol's characteristic warmth and compositional clarity, the figures of Esther and Mordecai depicted with the dignified presence appropriate to their roles in the salvation narrative.