Rembrandt's Heroine from the Old Testament (Esther or Bathsheba), ca. 1632–33
May 12, 2005-August 13, 2005Location: Aaron and Blima Shickman Old Masters Galleries
Artist: Rembrandt
Curator: Shlomit Steinberg
Media: Oil on canvas
From the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. This fine example of Rembrandt's genius, created when he was only twenty-seven years old, raises many intriguing questions, the main one concerning the identity of its central character: is she the pious Esther or the seductive Bathsheba?