Self-Portrait of Abraham ben Shabbetai Kohen

Abraham ben Shabbetai Kohen was born in Crete. He studied medicine at the University of Padua and subsequently settled on the island of Zante, then under Venetian rule, where he practiced as a physician. Abraham was also a poet, artist, and scholar. His Kehunat Avraham (Priesthood of Abraham) is an interpretation and retelling of sections from the book of Psalms in verse. The book includes various engravings, among them the poet’s self-portrait and possibly others by the author himself. The adaptation of Psalms is followed by a similar reworking of Perek shirah (Chapter of Song, an early medieval text in which all elements of creation praise God), entitled Bene Keturah (Children of Keturah).