A Decorated Ketubbah from Venice, 1907

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.

Physical Description

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.