Portrait of Isaac Aboab da Fonseca

Aernout Naghtegaal

1683

Print portrait of man in skullcap and beard, in front of bookshelf and holding open book in his hand, with crown and Hebrew text underneath.
This engraving portrays Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, a rabbi, kabbalist, and preacher, born in Castro Daire, Portugal, to a family of New Christians. He arrived in Amsterdam with his family at the age of seven and was subsequently brought to Judaism. Between 1642 and 1654, he lived in Recife, Brazil, where he served as the rabbi of the local community and was, in fact, the first rabbi on the American continent. After the Portuguese conquest of the Dutch colony in Brazil, he returned to Amsterdam, and from 1660 until his death he served as chief rabbi of the Sephardic community. During the Sabbatean messianic ferment, he was one of the chief followers of Shabbetai Tzvi in the Dutch capital. The Hebrew inscription under the crown notes that the engraving was done while he was still alive.

Credits

Aernout Naghtegael, Portret van Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, 1686. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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