Curatorial Narrative Filippino Lippi’s Esther choisie par Assurus exemplifies the nascent Classicism of Florence in the late 15th century. Painted between 1478 and 1480, it embodies the artist’s attempt to reconcile the fluid brushwork and emotional intensity of his Florentine predecessors with the emerging Renaissance ideals of balance and restraint.As we examine Esther choisie par Assurus at architectural scale say, in a room measuring approximately 124 by 44 feet the palette’s rich reds, golds, and earth tones gain a new spatial weight. The muted background dissolves into an atmospheric depth that envelops the figures of Esther and Assurus, imbuing them with an otherworldly presence.The fine brushwork Lippi employed in this painting gives rise to a visual texture that behaves almost like stone or velvet when enlarged. This tactile quality invites the viewer’s eye to meander through the composition, tracing the contours of the f