The story of Sarra Coppia Sulam.
Venice, spring 1618. The Ghetto. For one hundred and three years, the Jews have had to live here. They can only venture outside between sunrise and sunset. It is mandatory for the men to wear yellow hats and for the women to wear yellow veils in order to be instantly recognizable as Jews.
Beautiful, smart Sarra Sullam – née Coppia – is in bed. She is ill, possibly recovering from a miscarriage. She is reading ‘La Reina Ester’, written by Ansaldo Cebà, a former diplomat now living in a Genovese monastery. Sarra is so taken by the book, that she decides to write a letter to Cebà. It is the beginning of a long correspondence.
Ansaldo Cebà copied each and every letter he sent to Sarra – probably planning to maybe one day publish them. However he did not save any of her letters, apparently he never intended to include these.
Before publication, his letters were examined by the Vicar General of Genoa who, on behalf of the Inquisition, deemed the work a “distinguished product” by a “great intellect”, which needed to be published.
No wonder the Inquisition was pleased – in more than fifty letters, Cebà tried to make Sarra deny her Jewish faith and convert to Catholicism. Although all her letters were lost, it is clear from his reactions that she categorically refused and instead suggested that he would become a Jew.
In the four-and-a-half years of their correspondence, it became more and more intimate. Sarra was married, Ansaldo was sworn to celibacy, but that did not stop them from an ever increasing steaminess – in spite of their thirty years age difference.
Beautiful, intelligent, witty Sarra – poetess, writer, musician and salonnière. Together with her husband she supported the arts and intelligentsia of Venice.
In spite of the huge grief of losing her ten month old daughter and the many miscarriages, Sarra led a fulfilling life. She was surrounded by intellectuals, artists, scientists and scholars who further educated her and frequented her salons.
Until one of them, Baldessare Bonifacio, inexplicably turned against her by writing a tractate in which he accused her of denying the immortality of the soul – a mortal sin in both Judaism and Christianity.
Sarra was recovering from yet another serious illness, but within two days she had written a scathing reply. It was published immediately – by the same house that had published Bonifacio’s tractate.
Sarra wrote to Cebà for advice, but it took him months to answer her, only to recommend conversion.
More misfortune lay in store. Her poetry teacher, Numidio Paluzzi, went after her as well. With the help of a friend and of Sarra’s servants, he had her house burgled – afterwards declaring it ‘must have been the work of spirits’. We don’t know how Sarra reacted to this.
She died in February 1641, after a three month illness. She is buried at the Jewish cemetery on the Lido.
For Sarra’s letters to Cebà, please click here.
Credits:
All photography, text, styling and costumes: © Bettiena Drukker
Sarra: Nyncke Beekhuyzen
Ansaldo Cebà (Dutch audio): Rudolf Lucieer
Baldassare Bonifacio (Dutch audio): David Lucieer
Audio direction (Dutch): David Lucieer
Sound Engineer (Dutch audio): Bart Rijnink
With very special thanks to professor Umberto Fortis for his scientific advice and Day and Night media for facilitating the sound recordings, and with my deepest gratitude to the late professor Don Harran for inspiring and supporting me with his exceptional book about Sarra.
© Bettiena Drukker
Venice, November 2019 – Amsterdam, January 2022.
THE AMSTERDAM PICTURE ROOM 