Discover the remarkable story of Jona Ostiglio (c. 1638–1700), the first known Jewish painter in Italian—and European—art history. Born in the Florence ghetto, Ostiglio began painting in midlife and was admitted to the Accademia del Disegno before receiving commissions from the Medici family and Florence's elite. His extraordinary career was matched by a dramatic personal life, including a romance with a Christian widow and her mysterious rescue from a monastery. This course also explores Jewish artistic patronage, art collecting within the Florentine ghetto, and Ostiglio's little-known workshop, where he trained the Jewish painter David Isaia Tedesco.
Learn more about the instructor here.
This course is a part of the Exploring Jewish Italy Series