The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt
The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt examines how the biblical story of Esther—a Jewish orphan who becomes queen of Persia and risks her life to save her people—was interpreted by Jewish and Protestant communities in the Netherlands during the 17th century. The exhibition considers how Esther became a cross-cultural symbol in the Dutch Republic, where Jewish immigrants, Protestant communities, artists, and international trade helped create a flourishing environment of religious and artistic exchange.
Through Dutch paintings, tapestries, decorative arts, Persian textiles, and Jewish ceremonial objects, the exhibition explores Purim observance, Dutch Protestant resistance to Catholic Spain, Amsterdam’s growing Jewish community, and European fascination with the imagined Persian world of Esther. Featured works include paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Lievens, Jan Steen, and Aert de Gelder; an Esther tapestry dating to 1510–1525; Salom Italia’s 1640s Esther scroll; and works depicting Esther, Mordecai, Ahasuerus, Haman, and related scenes. It is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s first major exhibition devoted to 17th-century Dutch art.
When: August 6, 2026–January 18, 2027
Venue: Hostetter Gallery, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
Exhibition focus: The exhibition connects Esther’s significance in Jewish religious and cultural life with the ways Dutch Protestants identified with her story during their struggle for independence from Catholic Spain. It also considers the influence of Amsterdam’s Jewish community, contacts with the Middle East, and the city’s artistic culture on repeated depictions of Esther.
Featured artists and works: The exhibition includes Rembrandt van Rijn’s *Self-Portrait, Age 23* and *A Jewish Heroine [possibly Esther] from the Hebrew Bible*; Jan Lievens’s *The Feast of Esther* and *Man in a Turban Facing Left*; Jan Steen’s *Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman*; Aert de Gelder’s *Esther and Mordecai*; Jacob van der Ulft’s *Dam Square with the New Town Hall Under Construction*; the Flemish *Esther Fainting Before Ahasuerus* tapestry; and Salom Italia’s handwritten and printed *Esther Scroll* from the 1640s.
Curators: Abigail Rapoport, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Curator of Judaica at the Jewish Museum, organized the exhibition with Michele L. Frederick, Curator of European Art and Provenance Research at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Organization: The exhibition is co-organized by the Jewish Museum in New York and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.
Tickets: Price not available
Logistics: The museum provides directions and parking information through its website.