Where to See The Toilette of Esther: Louvre, Paris

Théodore Chassériau painted this intimate scene in 1841, showing the biblical Esther preparing for her appearance before King Ahasuerus. Attendants arrange her hair and jewels as she sits in an exotic interior. Chassériau blends his teacher Ingres's linear precision with Delacroix's rich color.

The painting combines Romantic sensuality with Orientalist fascination for the biblical East. This small canvas (45.5 × 35.5 cm) demonstrates Chassériau's unique synthesis of styles. Now at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

This painting is at the Louvre in Paris. The museum's extensive French painting collection includes important Romantic and Orientalist works from the 19th century.

Esther was a Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from destruction. Before meeting the king, she underwent elaborate preparations. Chassériau captures this moment of beautification in an Orientalist setting.

Chassériau uniquely combined Ingres's precise draftsmanship with Delacroix's rich colors. This synthesis influenced later Symbolist painters and gave his work a distinctive sensuous quality.

The Toilette of Esther

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Two Views of an Indian from Calcutta, Seated and Standing

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