Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, Interior

Around the time of his move to Amsterdam, the Dutch painter Emanuel de Witte began to produce architectural paintings, particularly of church interiors and other grand buildings. He was interested in perspective and contrasts of light and shadow; his paintings often depicted animals and people inside the architectural space. The impressive Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, constructed between 1671 and 1675, attracted many non-Jewish visitors, and indeed some can be seen in this painting. Interestingly, similarly to some of de Witte’s paintings of churches, in this painting from 1680, dogs—a symbol of the loyalty of religious worshipers to their faith—appear inside the synagogue. De Witte made three paintings of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam.