The Great Jewish Bride, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1635
etching, h 220mm × w 168mm More details
Why this print is traditionally called The Jewish Bride is uncertain. It probably depicts Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia, in the guise of a biblical figure: the Jewish queen Esther, who would beseech her husband, the Persian king Ahasuerus, to save her people. Here she holds the order to kill the Jews issued by Haman, her husband’s vizier. In the end, Ahasuerus did not consent, and ignored the order.
