The Amsterdam Residence of Manuel (Isaac Nunes) de Belmonte

Romeyn de Hooghe

ca. 1700

Drawing of angled view of house exterior and canal in front of it, with individuals in boats on canal arriving at the front door.

Statesman, merchant, and communal leader Baron Manuel (Isaac Nunes) de Belmonte (d. 1704) was the Spanish agent general in the Netherlands from 1664 and resident (consul) of the King of Spain from 1674. He contributed significantly to improving the relations between Spain and the Netherlands and he was subsequently awarded the title of Baron of Belmonte by Carlos II of Spain. He was also named Count Palatine by German Emperor Leopold III. Manuel played an important role in Amsterdam’s Sephardic Jewish community. He served periodically as parnas, on the committee for redeeming captives, and represented the community vis-à-vis the Dutch government. A poet and patron of literature, Manuel founded the literary societies Academia de Los Sitibundos (1676) and Academia de los Floridos (1685), which met in his home. Manuel himself composed poems, including one in memory of Abraham Nunes Bernal, who was burned at the stake. Various poets, among them Daniel Levi (Miguel) de Barrios (1635–1701), dedicated poems to Manuel. Manuel moved into a mansion on Herengracht in 1700. He never married, and his title was inherited by his cousin.

Credits

Huis van baron Manuel de Belmonte (Isaac Nunes) aan de Herengracht te Amsterdam, Romeyn de Hooghe, 1693–c. 1695. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

Engage with this Source

Creator Bio

Romeyn de Hooghe

1645–1708

Active in the Netherlands, Romeyn de Hooghe was a prolific engraver, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor who produced over 3500 prints. His graphic political satires are considered the first of their kind. 

You may also like

Print engraving of people on boat docking at a graveyard and lifting out a tomb.
Tooltip info icon

Jewish Funeral in Ouderkerk

This etching depicts a body being brought for burial in the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish cemetery at Ouderkerk, the oldest Jewish cemetery (est. 1614) in the Netherlands, located on the Amstel River.
View Source

Jaffa Changes Its Face

We must emphasize the impact Jews are having on the town of Jaffa. Those who knew Jaffa in the past can testify that the town owes a lot to the Jews; its appearance has changed dramatically over the…
View Source
Comic book page with title across the top over bird's-eye view of city streets, and English text below about summer in tenements.
Tooltip info icon

Cookalein

“Cookalein” is a story from Will Eisner’s graphic novel, A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. The “cookalein” (or kuchalein, “cook for yourself”) was a popular and affordable type of…
View Source