Dona Gracia Nasi the Younger

This one-sided, profile portrait medal in bronze represents Gracia Nasi the Younger, and was designed in Ferrara in 1558 to commemorate the sitter’s engagement. The inscriptions include her name, written in Hebrew, and her age, 18, written in Latin. Made by the prolific medalist Pastorino de’ Pastorini, whose signature “P” is seen on the sleeve, this is a celebrated image of a Jewish woman from one of the most influential and wealthy families in 16th century Europe. The family originated in Spain but fled to Portugal in 1492, when Jews were expelled, and left Portugal for the same reason in 1496; they went to Antwerp, and then to Venice, Ferrara, and Constantinople. Long thought to represent Gracia Nasi the Elder, this is a portrait of her niece, who was named for her. Gracia the Elder was widowed in her 20s, and assumed responsibility for her family’s assets, business, and safety. She negotiated with some of the most powerful men of her time, including several Popes and Ottoman sultans. From Constantinople, where she settled in 1554, Gracia sought to initiate an embargo against the port of Ancona after Jews were persecuted, ghettoized, and murdered there in 1555/6, and worked towards establishing a Jewish homeland in Tiberias in Israel.