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Francesco Caucig’s strong grounding in the neoclassical tradition is evident in Queen Esther Before King Ahasuerus. The most noble subject matter was deemed by the academics to be either classical, historical or biblical and in this instance Caucig illustrates a scene from the Old Testament story. Esther, married to King Ahasuerus of Persia, is seen entering the throne room to plead for the lives of her fellow Israelites whom the king had condemned because of a plot by the courtier Haman. Caucig’s portrayal of the story is likely based on the French dramatist Racine’s play Esther, of 1689. In Act II, Scene VII, Esther falls into a terrified faint because she has committed the capital crime of appearing unsummoned into the King’s presence. King Ahasuerus rises with concern but ultimately forgives her and, due to her intervention, uncovers Haman’s plot. By her humility and willingness to sacrifice her life for her people, Esther becomes the perfect example of female virtue-and an appropriately moral subject for painting. The powerful influence of the French neoclassicist painter Jacques-Louis David can be seen in Caucig’s composition, while the gentle elegance of his figural types and the light tonality of his color owe a strong debt to the works of Angelika Kauffmann. Caucig places the figures as actors on a stage with a backdrop of classical architecture. The simple space is accentuated by details that lend an aura of exoticism and historicity, such as the sharply backlit sphinx who sits atop the rear wall. The costuming is meant to intimate knowledge of contemporary Persian clothing.