Editing Esther (section)

== Artistic depictions of Esther ==
{{See also|Book of Esther#Modern retelling}}
[[File:The Feast of Esther by Johannes Spilberg the Younger.jpg|thumb|''The Feast of Esther'' by [[Johannes Spilberg|Johannes Spilberg the Younger]], {{Circa|1644}}]]
[[File:Ester y Mardoqueo escribiendo la primera carta del Purim (Ester, 9-20-21) - Aert de GELDER - Google Cultural Institute.jpg|thumbnail|''Esther and Mordecai Writing the First Purim Letter'' by Aert de Gelder, c. 1685]]

Throughout history, many artists have created [[:Category:Paintings of Esther|paintings depicting Esther]]. Notable early portrayals include the Heilspiegel Altarpiece by [[Konrad Witz]]{{sfn|Solle|2006|p=107}} and ''[[Esther Before Ahasuerus (Tintoretto)|Esther Before Ahasuerus]]'' by [[Tintoretto]] (1546–47, [[Royal Collection]]) which show Esther appearing before the king to beg mercy for the Jews, despite the punishment for appearing without being summoned being death. This scene became one of the most commonly depicted parts of the story.

Esther's faint had not often been depicted in art before Tintoretto. It is shown in the series of ''[[cassone]]'' scenes of the ''[[Life of Esther]]'' attributed variously to [[Sandro Botticelli]] and [[Filippino Lippi]] from the 1470s. In other cassone depictions, for example by Filippino Lippi, Esther's readiness to show herself before the court is contrasted to Vashti's refusal to expose herself to the public assembly.{{sfn|Baskins|1995|p=38}}{{sfn|Wind|1940–1941|p=114}}

Esther was regarded in Catholic theology as a [[Typology (theology)|typological]] forerunner{{sfn|Baskins|1995|p=37}} of the [[Virgin Mary]] in her role as intercessor{{sfn|Bergsma|Pitre|2018}} Her regal election parallels Mary's Assumption and as she becomes queen of Persia, Mary becomes queen of heaven; Mary's epithet as 'stella maris' parallels Esther as a 'star' and both figure as sponsors of the humble before the powerful.{{sfn|Baskins|1995|p=40}} Contemporary viewers would likely have recognized a similarity between the faint and the common motif of the [[Swoon of the Virgin]], seen in many depictions of the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]].{{sfn|Whitaker|Clayton|2007}} Esther's fainting became a popular subject in the Baroque painting of the following century. A notable Baroque example is ''[[Esther Before Ahasuerus (Artemisia Gentileschi)|Esther Before Ahasuerus]]'' by [[Artemisia Gentileschi]].{{sfn|Metropolitan Museum of Art}}