Nathan Curiel (1666-1737), alias Alvaro Nunes da Costa, was a member of the

Curiel family The Curiel family (Dutch: Curiël ''or'' also known as: da Costa) is a prominent Sephardi Jewish family. Until the late 18th century, the family held diplomatic positions for the Portuguese Crown in Hamburg and Amsterdam. History The family's ...

and Agent of the Portuguese Crown in Amsterdam. Curiel was born to

Moses Curiel Don Moses Curiel (1620-1697), in Dutch Mozes Curiël, alias Jeronimo Nunes da Costa, was a Sephardic Jewish nobleman, diplomat, and wealthy merchant, who traded in diamonds, sugar and tobacco. Curiel was born in Florence; he was the eldest son of ...

and Ribca Curiel (née Abas). There is speculation that he was named Nathan after

Nathan of Gaza Nathan of Gaza ( he, נתן העזתי; 1643–1680) or Nathan Benjamin ben Elisha Hayyim haLevi Ashkenazi or Ghazzati) was a theologian and author born in Jerusalem. After his marriage in 1663 he moved to Gaza, where he became famous as a prophe ...

, a notable Jewish theologian who was still alive at the time of Nathan Curiel's birth. Curiel had an early interest in botany and sponsored exploration to discover new flowers in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. He introduced many new varieties of plants to the Portuguese Court. Curiel had a large gardens at his home in Amsterdam.

Jonathan Israel Jonathan Irvine Israel (born 26 January 1946) is a British writer and academic specialising in Dutch history, the Age of Enlightenment and European Jews. Israel was appointed as Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the School of Historical Studies a ...

wrote, 'The effort which went into cultivating fine gardens, we may conclude, was yet another means of seizing the attention of visiting envoys and aristocrats.' Israel notes that Curiel possessed a 'medieval illuminated Hebrew Bible of expectational beauty' which his father, Moses Curiel, had purchased from a Spanish Jew from North Africa. According to Israel, this Bible is considered 'the oldest and most venerable item possessed by Dutch Jewry.'

References

1666 births 1737 deaths Curiel family Jewish merchants Portuguese nobility Portuguese diplomats 17th-century diplomats {{Portugal-diplomat-stub