Esther

Sir John Everett Millais Bt PRA (1829-96)

1865

Oil on canvas

Private collection

Source: The Athenaeum website

"Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house” — The Book of Esther, 5,1. As she pauses to loosen her long red tresses, Esther's yellow robe, with its splashes of black, blue and red, contrasts vividly with the blue curtain hung between the pillars of an entrance. [Commentary continues below.]

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