The Book of Esther in Early Modern Venice. Transreligious entanglements of a Jewish-Christian image subject.

• Applicant: Dr. Nina Niedermeier
• Subject Area: Art History
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 534233139

In its role as an image subject being received across religions and being depicted in Christian art as well as in Jewish art, the biblical Book of Esther has been subject to a series of medial and interpretative innovations stabilizing themselves to recurring image formations in the course of the 17th century. These image formations were developed in the multireligious context of the Republic Venice and under the influence of numerous contact zones within the Jewish and the Christian reception of the Esther story, emerging from overlapping exegetical traditions, circulating images and the mutual perception of literature, theatre and religious customs. Beyond that, the newly invented decoration of Esther scrolls by engravings brought about collaborations between Jewish and Christian artists opening the way for further exchange processes. Assuming the multi-perspectivity of Entangled History this cultural transfer study concentrates on the Book of Esther as a Jewish-Christian image subject, on its contexts in cultural and art history as well as on processes of religious Entanglement and Detanglement.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants