In the age of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), the biblical Book of Esther was a key source of inspiration for diverse communities in Holland, both Jewish and Christian. Join Jewish Museum curator of Judaica Abigail Rapoport for a virtual, behind-the-scenes exploration of the exhibition The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt.

The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt is co-organized by the Jewish Museum, New York, and the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. The exhibition was on view at the Jewish Museum from March 7 through August 10, 2025, and is currently on view at the North Carolina Museum of Art.

This presentation by Dr. Rapoport will examine how Rembrandt and his contemporaries depicted scenes from Esther’s story in paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts, alongside Jewish ceremonial art related to the holiday of Purim from seventeenth-century Amsterdam. Rapoport will delve into the Book of Esther’s popularity and cultural significance in Rembrandt’s time.

Abigail Rapoport is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Curator of Judaica at the Jewish Museum, where she oversees its world-renowned collection of Jewish ceremonial objects, spanning antiquity to the present day. She served as lead curator of The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt (2025), a major loan exhibition co-organized with the North Carolina Museum of Art.