Vashti

This painting by the English artist Edwin Long, dated 1879, captures the opening moment of the story of Vashti, told in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. Vashti was queen of Persia and the first wife of King Ahasuerus. When the king ordered that she be brought before his courtiers to display her remarkable beauty, she refused to appear and was banished as a result. The scene focuses on that dramatic act of refusal rather than on the banquet itself. Long was strongly influenced by Velázquez and other Spanish masters, as well as by his own earlier pictures. Over time, Vashti has been read from a feminist perspective as an independent-minded heroine, which helps explain the continued interest in the work. The painting is held at the Museum and Gallery at Bob Jones University in Greenville.

Painter

Edwin Long

Date

1879

Museum

Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery

Depicts

Vashti

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