Portrait of R. Shaul Rabbi of Amsterdam - Engraving Printed in his Lifetime - Amsterdam, 1780

Portrait of R. Shaul Lowenstam, rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Amsterdam. Engraving by Christian Friedrich Fritzsch, after G. Pinhas, 1780. Partially hand-colored. Mounted on the cover of an old book. "This is the portrait of the outstanding R. Shaul… author of Beit Ariel, rabbi and yeshiva dean of the community of Ashkenazim in Amsterdam - This is the image of Shaul, angel of G-d…". R. Shaul Lowenstam Rabbi of Amsterdam (1717-1790), a leading rabbi in his times - the generation of the Noda BiYehuda and R. Yitzchak of Hamburg. He was the grandson of the Chacham Tzvi, and son of R. Aryeh Leib Rabbi of Głogów and Amsterdam (son of R. Shaul son of R. Heschel of Kraków). He served as rabbi of Dubno, succeeding his father-in-law R. Avraham Kahana Rabbi of Dubno, and in 1755, was appointed rabbi of Amsterdam in place of his father R. Aryeh Leib. His home resembled a royal palace, and the Chida, who visited him in Amsterdam, describes in his book the honor and glory the Amsterdam community accorded their illustrious rabbi. In Shem HaGedolim, the Chida seldom refers to the rabbis of his generation and their books, yet R. Shaul is mentioned in awe: "and I, the poor one, merited to greet the Shechina in 1778, whenever I passed by on a mission, and I merited to enjoy his Torah, modesty and perfection" (Maarechet Sefarim, Bet, 98, Binyan Ariel). In the Cleves Get controversy which encompassed all European countries, the opinion of R. Shaul was conclusive. His book Binyan Ariel (Amsterdam, 1778) contains novellae on the Talmud and on the Torah. In this portrait, his book is referred to as Beit Ariel. [1] leaf. 29 cm. Fair condition. Minor tears. Marginal wear. Mounted on cover of an old book, 31.5 cm. Slightly damaged.