Portrait of Menasseh Ben Israel
Shalom Italia
1640–1649
This engraving of famed intellectual Menasseh ben Israel, made by Shalom Italia, is one of the earliest known portraits of a Jewish thinker by a Jewish artist. Italia highlights Menasseh's scholarly status by framing his portrait with a Latin banner that reads "Menasseh ben Israel, Jewish theologian and philosopher." The portrait appeared on several of Menasseh's books in his lifetime and on biographies that came later.
Credits
Portret van Menasseh Ben Israël, Salomon Italia, 1640–1649. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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