Which Rembrandt painting depicts a man in oriental dress identified as the biblical figure Ahasuerus?

Rembrandt’s painting depicting Ahasuerus and Haman at Esther’s feast is Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther.

The subject comes from the Book of Esther. Queen Esther reveals that Haman, the king’s trusted official, has plotted against her people. The king reacts angrily, and the scene marks the collapse of Haman’s position at court.

Rembrandt painted the work in 1660, during a mature period marked by concentrated compositions and expressive faces. Rather than crowding the scene with many figures, he focuses attention on the tense exchange among the central characters. Rich textiles and orientalizing costume help establish the courtly setting as seventeenth-century viewers imagined it.

The subject can be confused with Rembrandt’s related Esther paintings, including Esther at Her Toilet. Those works show different moments from the same biblical story.