Portrait of R. Shmuel Oppenheimer. Lithograph by Joseph Kriehuber. Printed by Johannes Höfelich, [Vienna], 1846.
Under the portrait are a facsimile of his signature and a German text with a short biography.
R. Shmuel (Samuel) Oppenheimer (1630-1703) was a Jewish banker, philanthropist and court diplomat, close to Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the Emperor's finance minister and assisted him in his war against the Ottoman Empire during the Great Turkish War (1683-1699). After the Jews were expelled from Vienna in 1670, Oppenheimer was the first Jew allowed to settle in the city with his "Gesinde", a small community composed of a number of Jewish families. He took advantage of his ties with the Emperor's court to benefit his Jewish brethren.
45X28 cm. Fair condition. Many stains. Tears in several places, repaired. Mounted on cardboard and matted.
Provenance: Kedem, Auction 63, 13 November 2018, Lot 160.
