"The earliest painting by Rembrandt whose owner is documented depicts the prophet Balaam, on his way to blessing Israel. The man who bought it was a Sephardi Jew in the service of Cardinal Richelieu of France. The first known buyer of an etching plate by Rembrandt, depicting 'Abraham Dismissing Hagar and Ishmael', was a Sephardi Jew of Amsterdam. Seen through their eyes, Rembrandt was the creator of images with a special meaning to Jews. They have been followed through the centuries by Jewish collectors, Jewish art historians, Jewish artists who saw their own deepest concerns modelled in his art and life, and even prominent rabbis, one of whom said that Rembrandt was a Tzadik, a holy man blessed by God. This book is the first study in depth of the potent bond between Rembrandt and Jews, from his time to ours, a bond that has penetrated the image of the artist and the people alike."
(from table of contents) Introduction -- Jews and Judaism in Rembrandt's own world. Sephardi Jewish life and material culture in Rembrandt's time / Mirjam Knotter -- Rembrandt and his (Jewish) neighbors : a stroll through the neighborhood / Mirjam Knotter -- Map with residents and owners of houses in and around the Jodenbreestraat in Rembrandt's time (ca. 1625-1658) / Mirjam Knotter and Guido Leguit -- Rembrandt's other Jews : the Amsterdam Ashkeniazim in the seventeenth century / Bart Wallet -- Society, spirituality, imagery. Rembrandt and multicultural Amsterdam : Jews and Black people in Rembrandt's art / Michael Zell -- Rembrandt, Menasseh ben Israel and Spinoza / Steve Nadler -- Rembrandt, the Jews and Judaism / Shelley Perlove -- Jewish brides, rabbis and sitters in Rembrandt's prints / Roman Grigoryev -- Jewish artists. Modern Jewish artists discover Rembrandt / Larry Silver -- Laying it on thick : British (immigrant) artists and their Rembrandt / Simon Schama -- Rembrandt and Russian Jewish artists / Nina Getashvili -- Jewish collectors and museums. Rembrandt as seen by Jewish museums / Laurence Sigal-Klagsbald -- Jewish collectors take Rembrandt to their hearts / Gary Schwartz.
Includes quotations in French, Dutch, or German, in "Notes."