A Decorated Kettubah from Lisbon, 1892

Gouache and ink on parchment ( 21 x 14 in.; 53 x 36 cm).

Matted and framed. Not examined outside of frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Recording the marriage of Judah (known as Saud) son of Abraham and Cecilia Sofia daughter of Elijah the son of Judah (?), on Wednesday 20 Sivan, [5]652 (=June 15, 1892).

Jews had been living in Lisbon since the Middle Ages and many occupied a prominent place in Portuguese political and economic life. However, the community suffered a major blow in 1497, when an edict by King Manuel I ordered all Jews to either convert to Christianity or to leave the country. Some Portuguese Jews fled to other lands, but the Jews who converted to Catholicism and remained faced a constant risk of persecution from the Portuguese Inquisition which had been established in 1536.  At the beginning of the 19th century, however, after the Portuguese Inquisition was abolished, affluent Sephardi Jews from Morocco and Gibraltar returned to Portugal. Although the government formally recognized the Jewish “colony” in 1868,  the Jewish community of Portugal remained very small and this ketubbah is one of the only known decorated marriage contracts from Lisbon.