A study that examines the role of Jews as agents in the service of many kinds of patron, from local nobles to emperors. In addition to collecting and commissioning precious jewellery and works of art for the court, they provided all manner of goods, including military equipment and supplies. Many Jews also made important contributions to architecture by financing and implementing large building projects. Court Jews often became powerful members of society, some of them adopting the lifestyles, dress and architecture of their patrons, while remaining true to their religious origins. This book charts the development of the Court Jew and includes short biographies of outstanding figures - among them several women such as Glikl of Hameln and Esther Lieberman - with an account of their achievements and their relationship to Jewish communities and to general society.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product and great service,
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This review is from: From Court Jews to the Rothschilds: Art, Patronage, and Power 1600-1800 (Paperback)
This book is superb if you are interested in the topic. Design and density of information is great as is its use of documents and paintings which makes it interesting visually too. The seller delivered in a shorter time frame than promised and communicated at each stage.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where Tolkiens Wormtongue archetype comes from,
By Cwn_Annwn (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
This review is from: From Court Jews to the Rothschilds: Art, Patronage, and Power 1600-1800 (Paperback)
I'm not 100% sure but I believe this book went with an exhibit on Court Jews at a Jewish Museum. Even though much of this book was overview history I managed to get a lot out of it. If you have read Tolkiens Lord of the Rings the Wormtongue character was to me an obvious archetype of the Court Jew. They worm their way into power through stealth and once they have power they manipulate and mold society to how they want it to be. This always erodes it and often will out and out destroy it.
Various interesting things in this were I had forgotten about what a huge role Jews played in various Islamic lands throughout history. As the book points out Jews were "all powerful bankers" in Baghdad, Egypt, Tunisia, the Mongol Empire, Morocco, Afghanistan, Iran and with the Berbers. This book actually claims that Jews were put into positions of power by Muslims because of "Jewish vulnerability" and so they would attract investment from wealthy Jews and not because of any wormy conspiratorial maneuverings by Jews themselves. There is an obvious historical pattern of these type of maneuverings from a certain class of Jew. I found it interesting that this book mentions that in the 900s/1000s Jewish court bankers from various lands sent their sons to study at "Babylonian Academies" in Babylon and would frequent them themselves for periods of time. Which brings the question to my mind was Babylon a headquarters and epicenter for a global Jewish conspiracy at one time? There is more on the Court Jews in Europe than there was about Court Jews in Islamic lands in From Court Jews to Rothschilds so you get info and good overview history on various notorious characters like Sus Oppenheimer, Esther Liebmann and Mayer Amschel Rothschild among others. I also found it interesting how along with their banking and involvement in the jewelry trade they were used as tax collectors and translators of various texts. Which makes me wonder how many books and documents have been inaccurately altered. Also how the elite jews were almost always married off in arrainged marriages with sons and daughters of other wealthy elite Jewish families. Another thing that wasn't a surprise was how common it was for them to make obscene amounts of money as suppliers to armies during times of war. Obviously thats what the old saying "War is a Jew Harvest" was getting at.
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