Giovanni Vendramin and Stamparia Vendramina

Giovanni Vendramin and Stamparia Vendramina

Giovanni Vendramin founded a new Venetian Hebrew press under his name in 1630, establishing himself as a rival to the long-reigning Bragadin family. Vendramin is widely regarded as the last of the great Venetian printers of Hebrew books. The firm operated under his name for the first ten years, subsequently assuming the titles of Stamparia Vendramina and Commissaria Vendramina. Later in its operation the firm merely served as a front for Jews to print whatever Hebrew texts they liked, since they were still prohibited from owning their own printing houses. The press not only published traditional religious works such as the Pentateuch and responsa, but also books about contemporary affairs including works on the Chmielnicki massacres in the mid-17th century. The press operated until the mid-1700s. Some sources claim that the increasing difficulty of printing Hebrew books as a result of growing persecution led the Bragadin and Vendramin firms to eventually merge.

The designs of the press’ title pages bear a striking similarity to those of the Bragadin firm. The first design is rather plain and consists of three decorative frames composed of florets and biblical phrases. The name of the press does not appear on this title page. The second design is more elaborate and, like Bragadini title page, features an arch flanked by figures of Moses and Aaron. Two angels grasp the two tablets, which contain the book’s date of publication instead of the Ten Commandments. The firm’s name is written in the Latin alphabet at the bottom of the arch.

Amram, David Werner. The Makers of Hebrew Books in Italy: Being Chapters in the History of the Hebrew Printing. Philadelphia: J.H. Greenstone, 1909.

Bloch, Joshua. "Venetian Printers of Hebrew Books." In Hebrew Printing and Bibliography, 63-88. New York: New York Public Library and Ktav Publishing House, 1976.

Heller, Marvin J. "Introduction." In The Seventeenth Century Hebrew Book: An Abridged Thesaurus. Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill, 2011. 

Digital Image: Washington University in Saint Louis

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