Esther before Ahasuerus, oil on canvas, 115 x 151 cm, framed

We are grateful to Sonja Brink, who has attributed this painting to Antonio Molinari and workshop.

In a letter dated 1984 Egidio Martini fully attributed the present painting to Antonio Molinari.

Brink has compared this composition with a drawing in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. Although the drawing shows the key characters full-length, it can be said to be a preparatory study for our painting (see K. Andrews, Catalogue of Italian Drawings, Cambridge 1968, I, p. 90, cat. D 1656, II, p. 111, ill. 631, attributed to Antonio Pellegrini; G. Knox, ‘I disegni di Antonio Pellegrini’ in Antonio Pellegrini. Il maestro veneto del Rococò alle corti d’Europa, exh. cat., ed. A. Bettagno, Padua 1998-1999, p. 108, note 21).
The painting depicts the moment when Esther appears before Ahasuerus, and he lowers his sceptre as a sign of his clemency, being prepared to hear her plea for protection for the Jewish people. The composition depicts figures displaying theatrical gestures with lavish costumes in a Classical surround. The richly glowing Baroque colours and the powerfully modelled forms are typical of Molinari’s work.

We are grateful to Sonja Brink, who has attributed this painting to Antonio Molinari and workshop.

Brink has compared this composition with a drawing in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. Although the drawing shows the key characters