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The panel is part of a cycle of paintings dedicated to the story of biblical heroine Esther, who would become the wife of Persian king Ahasuerus (better known as Xerxes) and do her best to protect the Jewish people against a plot organised by a court dignitary. Esther's story was considered an example for Renaissance women and this subject was often chosen to decorate the furnishings in the bridal chambers of the wealthier classes. Three panels from the cycle in the Uffizi, together with one in the Louvre and another in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, certainly made up a "cassone" or other similar piece of furniture. The cycle consists of modest paintings but they are very characteristic of Florentine taste in the second half of the 15th century.
To the right of the panel is King Ahasuerus, accompanying his wife Esther to Mardocheus, her cousin, in order to honour him and thank him for his loyalty, naming him his advisor. A moment from before the story is shown in the background. While he sleeps Mardocheus is plagued by dreadful foreboding in his dreams. When he awakes, he hears some court dignitaries conspiring against Ahasuerus, who is quickly warned of their plot. In the background, outside the city walls, we can see a hanged man who may be Aman, Ahasuerus's advisor who had tried to convince the king to kill all of the Jews and who had been unmasked by Esther, saving the fate of her people. The scene therefore captures different moments in the story and the architecture plays a notable role in organising the narrative and defining the sequence. The painting concludes the story of biblical heroine Esther.
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