Esther Before Ahasuerus 1518

Lucas van Leyden's 1518 engraving, "Esther Before Ahasuerus," depicts a scene from the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. The work portrays the moment Esther, a Jewish queen, kneels before her husband, the Persian King Ahasuerus, to plead for her people who are being persecuted. This engraving, created by the influential Dutch artist, showcases the artist’s skilled use of line, detail, and composition. The scene’s dramatic tension is heightened by the stark contrasts of light and shadow and the figures’ expressive gestures. It is a captivating example of van Leyden's mastery of the engraving medium.