Mordecai rides through the Streets in the Apparel the King has sent him. 1500 - 1540

This 16th-century silverpoint drawing by Pseudo-Aert Ortkens, entitled "Mordecai rides through the Streets in the Apparel the King has sent him.," depicts a scene from the biblical Book of Esther. Mordecai, the Jewish hero of the story, is shown riding on horseback through the streets, dressed in the royal garb bestowed upon him by King Ahasuerus. The drawing, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies the meticulous detail and expressive power of silverpoint, a drawing technique popular in the Renaissance. The circular composition and careful rendering of the figures contribute to the sense of grandeur and solemnity of the event.