Jacob Marcaria : A Jewish Printer in Renaissance Italy

Suriano, Ambra (2025) Jacob Marcaria : A Jewish Printer in Renaissance Italy. Jewish Culture and History. pp. 1-21. ISSN 1462-169X

Abstract

The paper examines Jacob Marcaria’s life and activity, a prominent figure in the Italian-Jewish Renaissance, best known for his Hebrew publishing activity in Riva del Garda. Moving beyond his contribution as a printer, which still deserves attention, the study explores Marcaria’s multifaceted identity as a member of the rabbinical court in Venice, physician, matchmaker, and intellectual personality of the time. Drawing on previously unpublished documents, the paper offers new insights into the cultural networks of 16th-century Italian Jewry. Marcaria’s life reveals significant interactions between Jewish and Christian elites and highlights broader dynamics of Jewish existence in northern Italy’s Venetian context.