Gravestone of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto (replica)

1716

Tombstone of three cherubs and central Portuguese inscription, with engraving of wilted flower, skull, hourglass, and sun, with top panel of engraving of man riding in a procession through street and Hebrew text across the middle.
In reference to the deceased’s name, the central verse fragment on this monument reads “And Mordechai came before the king . . .” (Esther 8:1), and the top panel contains a low relief of a richly clad Mordechai riding through the streets of Shushan. Three putti (cherubs) overlook a draped epitaph in Portuguese honoring the role of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto as a treasurer and patron of the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue Tooltip info icon . The gravestone’s lower section features a number of objects representing mortality and the passage of time, such as a wilted flower, a skull, a winged hourglass, and a sun.

In reference to the deceased’s name, the central verse fragment on this monument reads “And Mordechai came before the king. . .” (Esther 8:1), and the top panel contains a low relief of a richly clad Mordechai riding through the streets of Shushan. Three putti (cherubs) overlook a draped epitaph honoring the role of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto as a treasurer and patron of the Mikve-Israel-Emanuel synagogue. The gravestone’s lower section features a number of objects representing mortality and the passage of time, such as a wilted flower, a skull, a winged hourglass, and a sun.

Credits

Photo by Kent Coupe. Courtesy of the Jewish Atlantic World Database.

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

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