Ambra Suriano

Archival Insights: Tracing Jacob Marcaria’s Life in Renaissance Venice

Judaistik, Bibelwissenschaft, Hebräische Sprache - RWTH Aachen, Pr. Dr. Th. Simone Paganini

In the past decades, the figure of Jacob Marcaria has attracted scholarly attention mainly in connection with the six years of activity of the Jewish printing house he founded with Rabbi Joseph Ottolenghi in Riva del Garda (1557-1563). However, to date, there is no systematic work that holistically reconstructs the stages of his life, from his medical studies in Padua to his practice of medicine in the territory of the Venetian Republic, to his work as a matchmaker for prominent members of the Venetian community, to his role as a judge in the rabbinical court of Venice. The present research not only sheds new light on the events that affected the life of an influential member of the Jewish intellectual class during the Renaissance in the Venetian Republic but also illuminates specific aspects of Jewish life during a crucial era in the history of these communities. Moreover, the investigation of the relations between Marcaria and prominent figures in the Venetian Republic, the Duchy of Milan and the Prince-Bishopric of Trent represents a new aspect of the research, highlighting unprecedented aspects of the mutual connections and influences between the social and cultural elites of the time. By providing the edition and historical contextualisation of new materials in Hebrew that would otherwise remain unknown, the information that emerged from this research may be helpful not only to scholars of Jewish history and culture but also to historians investigating the social and cultural dynamics and interconnections of the Venetian, Milanese and Tridentine domains of the Renaissance. In this sense, the project aims to create new interdisciplinary connections and stimulate debate among scholars.

Januar 2024

Von Dezember 2024 bis April 2025