RABBI JACOB MOSES BEN SHAUL LOWENSTAM (1748-1815)
Amsterdam, Holland, 1815
Paper, ink, printed

Portraits of famous rabbis were sometimes made in Amsterdam, beginning in the 17th century; elsewhere in Europe during this period time, such a practice was seen as violating Jewish custom . Such portraits, rare, as is most ephemera, and highly valued, continued to be produced into the 19th century as well. Most often these portraits were in memory of a deceased person, as in this example published in the year of the death of Rabbi Jacob Moses ben Shaul Lowenstam. The figures are mourning while the angel lowers a wreath of honor toward the head of the deceased.

Height: 29 cm, Length: 21 cm

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