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Biography
Knight Moses Curiel (1620-1697), in Dutch Mozes Curiël, alias Jeromino Nunes da Costa, was a Sephardi Jewish nobleman, diplomat, and wealthy merchant.
Curiel is the eldest son of Jacob Curiel. He was sent by his father to be educated at Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. He served as Agent to the Portuguese Crown in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 1645 until his death. During his time in Amsterdam he generously patronised Hebrew scholarship. The Curiel family is widely believed to have been 'one of the richest and most important families in the Sephardic Diaspora in northwest Europe.'
He lived most of his life along the Nieuwe Herengracht (canal) in Amsterdam (house no. 45) and was a major contributor to the Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam. He was a close friend of William of Orange and housed him in Amsterdam on more than one occasion.
In 1984, the historian Jonathan Israel wrote a book charting Moses Curiel's life, An Amsterdam Jewish Merchant of the Golden Age: Jeronimo Nunes Da Costa (1620-1697), Agent of Portugal in the Dutch Republic.