A Temple Interior, perhaps showing the story of Esther and Mordecai - Rafael Valls

1608

Medium

Oil on Copper

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-150509

This picture appears to show a woman offering a purse to a priest in an impressive gothic interior. The picture is similar to six other works dated in the 1610s and 20s showing secretive meetings between a woman and a priest. Jeremy Howarth suggests that the scenes are not part of a Christian story. Pagan imagery by Steenwyck from around this period was not uncommon and several works depict the story of the priests of Baal while others show mysterious nocturnal feasts. Howarth has suggested that the interiors with scenes close to the present picture are not set in churches, but instead show imaginary gothic-style pagan temples with pagan statues on the altars. He suggests these scenes might depict the meeting between Esther and Mordecai and points out in particular a nocturnal scene today in the National Gallery of Art, Washington (see J. Howarth, The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective, 2009, Turnhout, Belgium, II. E 20, p. 258, illus. p. 537). Esther was the wife of Ahasuerus, the King of Persia, and had a meeting with her uncle Mordecai at the gate of the palace to obtain advice from him. The Book of Esther describes two meetings. The first, when Mordecai warned Esther that he had discovered a plot by two eunuchs to kill the King. The second meeting is when Mordecai informs Esther of the plan of Haman (a royal favourite) to massacre all of the Jews in the Kingdom and begs her to use her influence with the King to avert the tragedy which she duly does. However, the connection of to the story of Esther and Mordecai story is not entirely convincing. Firstly, the woman appears to be elderly while Esther is typically depicted as being young and beautiful. Secondly, though money does feature in the story it does not change hands between Esther and Mordecai. The painting may have a more ambiguous message, perhaps one of charity.