Tombstone of Mordechai Franco Mendes and His Wife Sara Franco Mendes
This gravestone in the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands (est. 1614), that of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam, is inscribed in memory of Mordechai Franco Mendes (d. 1687), member of a well-known merchant family, and his wife, Sara Abendana (d. 1696). It lies flat on the ground, as is the custom for Sephardic gravestones. Panels above and below the arch-enclosed epitaph bear biblical scenes, including the binding of Isaac and the dream of Jacob’s ladder.
We’re sorry. The Posen Library’s licensing agreements prevent this image from being printed or downloaded.
Credits
Photo by Laura Leibman. Courtesy of the Jewish Atlantic World Database.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
You may also like
Tombstone of Abraham Cohen Pimentel
This tombstone is inscribed in memory of Abraham Cohen Pimentel, who served as rabbi of the Portuguese Synagogue (Esnoga) in Amsterdam, and also as hakham in the Hamburg synagogue. A student of Saul…
Tombstone of Esther de la Pena Gabay Henriques
Born in Córdoba, Spain, Esther Gabay Henriques married Daniel de la Penha, a Spanish merchant in Rotterdam. The family coat of arms appears above the epitaph. Beneath is a low relief of the couple’s…
Tombstone of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto (replica)
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…
Tombstone of Rachel Pereira
Rachel Soares Pereira, who died in 1721 at the age of twenty-four, was married to Isaac Pereira. Floral motifs decorate the top of her gravestone, while the bottom panel contains a relief of a hand…
Tombstone of Samson Wertheimer
Samson Wertheimer (1658–1724) was the chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, a court Jew, and Habsburg financier. His grave in the Viennese Seegasse cemetery is marked with an elaborately decorated…
Tombstone of Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen
Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen (ca. 1670–1749) was a rabbi in Altona. His gravestone bears a relief of open books and is inscribed with the titles of his works, each playing on a scriptural phrase involving…
Engage with this Source
Related Guide
Jews on the Move: Early Modern Jewish Migration
1500–1750
The geography of Jewish settlement shifted dramatically in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Related Guide
Early Modern Visual and Material Culture
1500–1750
Early modern Jewish visual culture flourished, with illuminated manuscripts, ornate synagogues, and portraiture alongside increasing non-Jewish interest in Jewish customs and greater Jewish self-representation.
You may also like
Tombstone of Abraham Cohen Pimentel
This tombstone is inscribed in memory of Abraham Cohen Pimentel, who served as rabbi of the Portuguese Synagogue (Esnoga) in Amsterdam, and also as hakham in the Hamburg synagogue. A student of Saul…
Tombstone of Esther de la Pena Gabay Henriques
Born in Córdoba, Spain, Esther Gabay Henriques married Daniel de la Penha, a Spanish merchant in Rotterdam. The family coat of arms appears above the epitaph. Beneath is a low relief of the couple’s…
Tombstone of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto (replica)
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…
Tombstone of Rachel Pereira
Rachel Soares Pereira, who died in 1721 at the age of twenty-four, was married to Isaac Pereira. Floral motifs decorate the top of her gravestone, while the bottom panel contains a relief of a hand…
Tombstone of Samson Wertheimer
Samson Wertheimer (1658–1724) was the chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, a court Jew, and Habsburg financier. His grave in the Viennese Seegasse cemetery is marked with an elaborately decorated…
Tombstone of Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen
Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen (ca. 1670–1749) was a rabbi in Altona. His gravestone bears a relief of open books and is inscribed with the titles of his works, each playing on a scriptural phrase involving…