The Jewish Museum’s newest exhibition, The Ebook of Esther within the Age of Rembrandt, explores the Jewish story of braveness as depicted and mirrored within the works of the Dutch Grasp and his contemporaries. The present argues that the biblical narrative of Purim — through which Esther, a Jewish queen, dangers her life to go earlier than the king and save her individuals from annihilation — was interpreted as an emblem of resilience and liberation in Dutch society, placing a deep chord on the top of their wrestle for independence from Spanish rule. Whereas the exhibition makes a compelling case for this thematic resonance of Esther’s story, some connections between paintings and narrative really feel tenuous, elevating questions on whether or not such pairings really deepen our historic understanding of Esther’s particular affect, or if they’re extra profitable at linking Dutch id and Jewish resilience extra usually.
The exhibition opens by intertwining two historic narratives: the story of Purim, and its connection to the Netherlands. In historical Persia, Queen Esther, a Jewish lady, risked her life to show King Ahasuerus’s advisor Haman’s depraved plot to annihilate the Jewish individuals. Centuries later, within the Netherlands, a special form of deliverance unfolded. As soon as underneath Spanish rule, the Dutch secured independence within the Eighty Years’ Battle (1568–1648), ushering in an period of spiritual tolerance. This newfound freedom attracted Jewish communities throughout Europe and Africa, notably Sephardic Jews fleeing the Inquisition. The primary gallery units the stage with depictions of Amsterdam’s evolving panorama, together with Rembrandt’s etching, “The Great Jewish Bride” (1635), work of newly constructed synagogues within the metropolis, and a frontispiece of Menasseh ben Israel, an esteemed rabbi who lived in Amsterdam. Displayed alongside these works are Judaica silver, multilingual Bibles, and Esther scrolls — objects that underscore Amsterdam’s prominence in commerce, print tradition, and the manufacturing of spiritual texts.
Rembrandt van Rijn, “Self-Portrait, Age 23” (1629), oil on oak panel (picture courtesy the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston)
By these objects, we study that Rembrandt himself lived within the Vlooienburg district, the identical space the place Jews settled. There, he absorbed the neighborhood’s influences and wove their tradition and historical past into his works. His etching and drypoint “Jews in the Synagogue” (1648) captures this milieu, depicting aged males in dialog in opposition to the backdrop of a Gothic synagogue. A close-by portrait by Cornelis Janson van Ceulen II of a Christian minister holding a Hebrew Bible additional exemplifies this cultural interchange by underscoring the interconnection between faiths. The intermixing of different influences additionally materializes all through the exhibition in Jewish printed books, Safavid-style textiles, and Persian elaborations.
Whereas the curators assemble a compelling case for this alternate, the exhibition’s interpretative lens begins to really feel strained because it enters the second and third galleries. Some works appear disconnected from the Ebook of Esther — as an example, a Rembrandt self-portrait, although spectacular, feels deeply misplaced — whereas others repeatedly establish ladies in opulent clothes or elaborate settings as Queen Esther, regardless of restricted visible or historic proof to help such claims. This insistence on a singular narrative dangers oversimplifying a a lot richer and extra nuanced creative custom.
Take, as an example, “A Jewish Heroine [probably Esther] from the Hebrew Bible” (c. 1632–33), the primary Rembrandt masterpiece on view. The sitter’s id has by no means been definitively established — students, together with these on the Nationwide Gallery of Canada (the work’s lender), have proposed she could possibly be Judith, Esther, and even Bathsheba. But the Jewish Museum sidesteps this ambiguity, confidently presenting her as Esther. An analogous leap happens with “Rembrandt and his Wife Saskia” (c. 1638), additionally introduced as a part of the Esther narrative, because it in some way “highlights the continued relevance of this biblical story” regardless of it clearly being a portrait of the artist and his spouse.
Rembrandt van Rijn, “A Jewish Heroine [probably Esther] from the Hebrew Bible” (1632–33), oil on canvas (picture courtesy Nationwide Gallery of Canada, Ottawa)
That mentioned, the exhibition does function works that help the museum’s claims by way of depictions of Esther’s most dramatic moments. Frans Francken the Youthful captures her plea to the king, whereas Jan Steen’s “The Wrath of Ahasuerus” (c. 1668–70) amplifies the chaos: A peacock tumbles from a platter because the enraged king gestures towards a cowering Haman. Aert de Gelder traces the total story in a number of works, from Esther’s viewers with the king to Mordecai’s recording of Purim’s occasions. A small wall textual content quietly notes that two Rembrandt works that instantly reference the Ebook of Esther have been unavailable for mortgage, as they reside in Russian museums — an absence that leaves a notable hole within the exhibition’s exploration of the topic.
It’s price noting that the museum beforehand explored the connection between Jews and Rembrandt in a 1982 exhibition, which can clarify their try and method the subject from a special approach. However that was greater than 40 years in the past. Whereas the present exhibition gives worthwhile insights into the connection between Jewish communities and Rembrandt, it ceaselessly stretches its thesis too far by together with works that really feel disconnected from the Ebook of Esther particularly. We didn’t even start to debate Fred Wilson’s “Queen Esther/Harriet Tubman” (1992), which, regardless of referencing Esther, has no connection to Dutch Masters nor the exhibition’s historic context. The inclusion of such works, added just because they vaguely tie into the theme, detracts from the exhibition’s focus. It turns into a scattered assortment, quite than a cohesive exploration.
Rembrandt van Rijn, “The Triumph of Mordecai” (c. 1641), etching and drypoint (picture courtesy the Morgan Library & Museum, New York)
Attributed to Frans Francken the Youthful, “Cabinet with scenes from the Book of Esther” (c. 1620), wooden with painted panels (picture courtesy the Jewish Museum, New York)
Rembrandt van Rijn, “The Great Jewish Bride (Probably Esther)” (1635), etching, engraving, and drypoint on paper; fifth state (picture courtesy the Morgan Library & Museum, New York)
Unknown artist/maker, Order of Prayers, printed by David Abenatar Melo, Amsterdam in 1625–26, with binding in all probability Hamburg, 1641–42, embroidered and sequined inexperienced silk velvet and silver binding (© 2003 Christie’s Photographs Restricted; courtesy the Jewish Museum)
Fred Wilson, “Queen Esther/Harriet Tubman” (1992), ink on acetate (picture courtesy Jewish Museum, New York)
Aert de Gelder, “Esther and Mordecai” (c. 1685), oil on canvas (picture courtesy Rhode Island College of Design Museum, Windfall)
Salom Italia, Esther scroll from Amsterdam (c. 1640), printed border, handwritten textual content, and ink on parchment (picture courtesy the Jewish Museum, New York)
Jan Steen, “The Wrath of Ahasuerus” (1668–70), oil on canvas (picture courtesy Museum Bredius, The Hague, Netherlands)
The Ebook of Esther within the Age of Rembrandt continues on the Jewish Museum (1109 fifth Avenue and East 92nd Avenue, Higher East Aspect, Manhattan) by August 10. The exhibition was co-organized by the Jewish Museum and North Carolina Museum of Artwork, Raleigh, and curated by Abigail Rapoport and Michele L. Frederick.
