Beautiful Esther. Purim, a timeless story

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

Jacopo del Sellaio (Florence, 1442–1493), Esther before Ahasuerus Florence, 1475-1480 ca. tempera on board, 44.8 × 42.9 × 3.5 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, inv. 2537

An exhibition on Purim, one of the most joyous holidays of the Jewish calendar, focusing
on its leading character, Queen Esther.
Renaissance works of art and precious parchments tell the story of the Biblical heroine
Esther and how she managed to save the Jewish people by foiling the plan laid out by
Haman, counsellor to the King of Persia. It is a timeless story that still teaches us very
much and which has been celebrated for centuries with banquets, masked gatherings,
parties and theatre pieces.
Jacopo del Sellaio’s “Ester davanti ad Assuero”, Esther before Ahasuerus (1475-1480 ca.)
from the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, and Filippino Lippi’s tempera on panel “Vashti
lascia il palazzo reale” Vashti Leaving the Royal Palace (1475 ca.), on loan from the Horne
Museum in Florence are some of the jewels of the exhibition.
Thanks to our collaboration with the National Library of Israel, the exhibition also includes
the return of the parchment scroll of the Book of Esther to the city of the Estes where it
was made in the 17 th century.

The exhibition also offers a detailed look into local history: from Leghorn to Syracuse, from
Padua to Rome, and a contemporary reinterpretation with very engaging illustrations.
Furthermore, the exhibition also offers interactive spaces where children and adults can
participate and enjoy creative moments.
The exhibition is curated by Amedeo Spagnoletto, Olga Melasecchi and Marina Caffiero
with the collaboration of Sharon Reichel.

1. Vashti Leaving the Royal Palace
1. Vashti Leaving the Royal Palace

1 Filippino Lippi (Prato, c. 1457 – Florence, 1504), Vashti Leaving the Royal Palace Italy, c. 1475 tempera on panel, 46.5 x 40 cm Museo Horne, Florence, inv. Horne 41

2. Esther before Ahasuerus
2. Esther before Ahasuerus

Jacopo del Sellaio (Florence, 1442–1493), Esther before Ahasuerus Florence, 1475-1480 ca. tempera on board, 44.8 × 42.9 × 3.5 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, inv. 2537

3. The Numbers of Esther
3. The Numbers of Esther

Tobia Ravà (Padua, 1959), The Numbers of Esther, Venice, 2023, UV catalyzation on aluminum, 80 × 80 cm, Courtesy Galleria d’Arte l’Occhio, Venice

4. The Edict of Haman
4. The Edict of Haman

Emanuele (Lele) Luzzati (Genoa, 1921–2007), The Edict of Haman Genova, 2007 signed serigraphy The National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, Ferrara

5. Megillah (scroll) of Esther
5. Megillah (scroll) of Esther

Moshe Ben Avraham Pescarol (Late 16th – First Half of the 17th Century), Megillah (scroll) of Esther Ferrara, 5377 (1616-1617) ink and watercolor on parchment rolled on wood, , h 27 cm The National Library of Israel, Jerusalem

6. Shalom d’Italia
6. Shalom d’Italia

Shalom d’Italia (Mantua, 1618/19 – Amsterdam, c. 1665) Megillat Momigliano 1640s Watercolored burin engraving, ink inscription on parchment wrapped on wood roll in lathed ivory case, with wood replacings, 22 × 65 cm Museo di Arte e Storia Antica Ebraica, Casale Monferrato, inv. 295, gift of Tiziana Momigliano’s Heirs

7. Sacerdoti Megillah with blessing sheet Northern Italy area
7. Sacerdoti Megillah with blessing sheet Northern Italy area

Sacerdoti Megillah with blessing sheet Northern Italy area,1671 wood, ink, and watercolour on parchment 17 × 13 cm (blessing sheet) Ownership note (inside the megillah’s oval): purchase of Iosef, son of Rabbi Ben Zion Yehoshuah Cohen Zedek (Sacerdoti) Museo di Arte e Storia Antica Ebraica, Casale Monferrato, inv. 224

8. Megillat (Scroll) of Esther Venetian area
8. Megillat (Scroll) of Esther Venetian area

Megillat (Scroll) of Esther Venetian area, late 17th century ink and woodblock printing on parchment ca. 162 x 17 cm – Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai, Bergamo, Inv. Ms. 1

9. Megillat Ester with initial and final blessings and Qoreè Megillah hymn
9. Megillat Ester with initial and final blessings and Qoreè Megillah hymn

Yoav Di Tivoli (?) (copyist) Megillat Ester with initial and final blessings and Qoreè Megillah hymn, Rome, 1641, Wood, ink, and watercolor on parchment, 51 × 560 cm (megillah), 26 × 88 cm (blessing sheet)

10. La regina in berlina
10. La regina in berlina

La regina in berlina A comedy by Sto Sergio Tofano Ferrara, Jewish school at Via Vignatagliata, April 1942 Black-and-white photograph, 10 × 15 cm

11. Foto da Cesare Finzi
11. Foto da Cesare Finzi

Ferrara, XX secolo, fotografia originale, Ferrara, Museo Nazionale dell’Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah

The exhibition has been organised in cooperation with the Museo Ebraico di Roma (the Jewish Museum of Rome). MEIS partners are: the Ministry of Culture, the Region Emilia-Romagna, the City (Municipality) of Ferrara and UCEI, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. Supporting member: the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank. The exhibition is under the patronage of the Municipality of Ferrara, the Jewish Community of Ferrara and of the Embassy of Israel in Italy, with the contribution of the Guglielmo De Lévy Foundation, the Hera Group, Tper, Fondazione Palio Città di Ferrara ETS, Dimedia and Avis

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