probably Tounai / Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus / 1460

probably Tounai
Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus
1460 - 1470
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Creator Name: Tounai
Creator Qualifier: Probably
Creator Nationality: European; Belgian
Creator Role: designer and cartoonist
Creator Dates/Places: active about 1475-1480
Creator Name-CRT: probably Tounai
Title: Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus
View: front
Creation Start Date: 1460
Creation End Date: 1470
Creation Date: 1460 - 1470
Object Type: Textiles
Materials and Techniques: Wool and silk
Dimensions: H.134-3/4 in. x W.128 in., irregular
Inscriptions: MARK
AMICA Contributor: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Owner Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
ID Number: 16.721
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. C. J. Martin for the Charles Jairus Martin Memorial Collection
Rights: http://www.artsmia.org/restrictions.html
Context:

This tapestry probably belonged to a set depicting the Old Testament story of Esther. A beautiful young Jewish woman, Esther, was the queen of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) of Persia. When the king's chief advisor, Haman (front, left of pillar), ordered all the Jews in Persia killed, Esther appealed to the king. At the left, Ahasuerus (on his throne) receives Esther (crowned and kneeling) and agrees to attend a banquet she has prepared. At the banquet (right), Esther asks Ahasuerus, who had not known she was Jewish, to spare her people. He grants her request, and Haman is later put to death. The feast of Purim, still celebrated today, commemorates this deliverance of the Jewish people. In typical medieval style, events occurring at different times are shown together. This tapestry is a fragment from the center of a larger piece that had at least three major scenes and several smaller ones. The story of Esther is also depicted on a 17th century embroidered box in gallery 310.

Related Work Description: The 17th Century "Embroidered Box" also depicts the story of Esther.
Link to Work: MIA_.95.14a-bb
AMICA ID: MIA_.16.721
Component Measured: overall
Measurement Unit: in
AMICA Library Year: 1998
Media Metadata Rights: ?The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

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