The illumination captures Esther not at the moment of triumph, but at the moment of tension and terror. Her face is divided. Her left side radiant with gold and order, the other shadowed and unsettled. A plot to execute the Jews is forming, and Esther has been encouraged by her uncle Mordecai to inform the emperor, even though she had not been summoned to the throne room. She is risking her life by entering his royal presence. On one side, she i…