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The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus

1640 · Staatliche Museen, Kassel

religious

Calvinist collectors in the Dutch Republic were often especially interested in Old Testament paintings, as Calvin has advocated careful study of the biblical narrative. Jan Victors, who painted mostly Old Testament scenes, apparently made them primarily for Calvinist patrons. His large pictures of Old Testament subjects are distinctly related to Rembrandt's biblical pictures done after the mid-thirties; his paintings of tradesmen and rural genre scenes are more personal.

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The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus

About the Artist

Jan Victors

1619 – 1676

Dutch painter, one of Rembrandt 's lesser known pupils, who joined Rembrandt's studio around 1635. He was far from being a genius and his life was a hard one. He tried to make a living by giving nurcing assistance to families stricken by the plague, and he died during a voyage to the East Indies where he was hoping to retrieve his fortunes. His style, compared with that of his contemporaries, was coarse, vulgar and declamatory. He based his genre paintings on stories from the Bible, and he also painted humorous conversation pieces.

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