Engraving of De templo Hierosolymitano from Jacob Judah Leon’s book on the subject, published by Johannes Saubertus (Latin Edition), Helmstadt, 1665, engraving, 6.1” x 4.3”, this artwork is in the public domain.
The Temple of Solomon has great significance in Jewish history since it was the first Jewish temple constructed in Jerusalem. Built by Salomon, King of the Israelites, in the 10th century BCE on the Temple Mount, it housed the Ark of the Covenant. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in 587 BCE.
In the 17th century, an expatriate from Portugal, rabbi Jacob Judah Aryeh Leon Templo, who lived in Amsterdam, made plans to rebuild Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. He built a model of the temple and wrote a book to accompany his proposal that was translated into several languages and both toured around Europe. Eventually, the model and the book would be exhibited before Charles II of England.
Happy Hanukkah from The Art Minute!
