Wednesday, March 26, 2025
10:30 – 11:45 am EDT
Zoom, Virtual Program

In the age of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669), the biblical Book of Esther was a key source of inspiration for diverse communities in Holland, both Jewish and Christian. Join Jewish Museum curator Abigail Rapoport to explore how Rembrandt and his contemporaries depicted essential scenes of Esther’s story in paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts, alongside Jewish ceremonial art related to the holiday of Purim from seventeenth-century Amsterdam.

Traditionally, the Esther story is read annually on the Jewish holiday of Purim. For immigrant Jewish communities living with new freedom in more tolerant Amsterdam, celebrating Purim — notably through finely produced Esther scrolls and theater productions — became meaningful expressions of Jewish culture. For the Dutch, Queen Esther’s heroism came to represent their emerging nation’s identity. Rapoport will give expression to this full range of the Book of Esther’s popularity and meaning in Rembrandt’s time. 

Co-presented with the 92NY, this lecture highlights research from the Jewish Museum’s exhibition The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt (on view November 8, 2024 – March 30, 2025) which is co-organized with the North Carolina Museum of Art. Program attendees receive discounted admission to visit the Museum during the run of the exhibition.

Due to the nature of this course, there will not be a recording available for later viewing.

For inquiries, please contact hello@roundtable.org