Portuguese synagogue Amsterdam – Bernard Picart, 1723-1727

INAUGURATION OF THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE IN AMSTERDAM

“La Dédicace de la Synagogue des Juifs Portugais, à Amsterdam“, engraving made by Bernard Picart for Cérémonies et Coûtumes religieuses by Jean Frédéric Bernard, published in Amsterdam between 1723 and 1727. Coloured by a later hand. Size (plate mark): 34 x 41.7 cm.

A remarkable feature of the 1660s and 1670s in Amsterdam was the construction of enormous, monumental buildings for religious groups other than the public church. For example, the beautiful Nieuwe Lutherse Kerk (New Lutheran Church), designed by Adriaan Dortsman, was built along the Singel near the Haarlemmersluis. The Jewish communities also constructed large, prominently visible synagogues during this period: the Great Synagogue and the Portuguese-Israelite Synagogue, both designed by Elias Bouman in 1669 and 1671, respectively, for the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish communities in Amsterdam. These were the first synagogues in Western Europe whose exterior was as beautiful and impressive as their interior.

The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam was inspired by a wooden model of the Temple of Jerusalem, created by Rabbi Jacob Juda Leon (1602–1675). On August 2, 1675, the new synagogue was festively inaugurated over the course of eight days. This inauguration is still commemorated annually.

Picart’s engraving depicts the ceremonies during the inauguration of the Portuguese Synagogue. The entire space is filled with visitors. On the central platform stands the chazan (cantor), who is reading from the Torah. He performs the scriptural reading in commemoration of the inauguration. In the background, the hechal (the ark where the Torah scrolls are kept) can be seen.

Price: Euro 850,-