A DECORATED KETUBBAH FROM VENICE, 1907

A DECORATED KETUBBAH FROM VENICE, 1907

Ink and gouache on parchment (25 1/2 x 19 in.; 648 x 483 mm); written in square and semi-cursive Hebrew scripts in black ink on thirteen lines; signatures of the groom and bride, as well as the witnesses, below. Short tear in lower edge.

Celebrating the wedding of Ben Zion (Eugenio) ben Abraham Nahum and Matilde bat Salvatore Arbib on Thursday, 8 Tammuz 5667 (June 20, 1907).

This marriage contract is ornamented with elegant floral motifs, and celebratory verses from the book of Ruth (4:11-12) frame the text and convey good wishes to the couple. This early-twentieth-century document is a fine example of the continuity of the art of decorated ketubbot in Italy.