Adar I 4

On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he ordered . . . seven eunuchs . . . to bring Queen Vashti . . . wearing a royal diadem, to display her beauty to the peoples and the officials; for she was a beautiful woman. Esther 1:10. The Writings--Kethubim: A new translation of The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic text, Third Section, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1982. Crayon on textured card stock; edited on IrfanView including sepia and solarize effects.
Perhaps Vashti refused the king because this was the end of a seven-day banquet that was preceded by 180 days of displaying the vast riches of his kingdom and the splendid glory of his majesty. Esther 1:4. At the banquet, royal wine was served in abundance . . . and the rule for the drinking was, "No restrictions!" Esther 1:7-8. Some say Vashti refused the king because he wanted her to appear in only her crown. Others say it was because his command would break with the custom for men and women to dine separately. What did he have in mind? Did Ahasuerus do the wrong thing because he was drunk or a fool or a drunken fool or because he was he lazy or because he was a product of his own time? Or, something else?
. The solarized color is in honor of the king's merriment after seven days of partying and for today's Color Theory workshop. It was a delight and insightful. Some lifelong questions about color were answered. Jane Balshaw should write a book about her color theory. She's done some hard work and come up with an elegant theory that works.