A Lavishly Decorated Ketubbah from Venice, 1741

Celebrating the marriage of Abraham ben Benjamin Herrera and Judith bat Rabbi Solomon ben David Altaras on Wednesday, 6 Adar 5501 (February 22, 1741).

This exceptional ketubbah from Venice is a fine example of decorated Italian Jewish marriage contracts. The text is set within a frame embellished with floral designs and the twelve signs of the zodiac. These signs are a visual representation of the Aramaic words written in large script above the text of the ketubbah: be-simana tava (with a good sign). The Hebrew word for a sign of the zodiac is mazzal, which also translates as luck, so the document opens with the wish that the stars and the signs of the zodiac may align and bring the new couple good fortune.

In addition, four roundels depict implements from the ultimate Jewish home—the Holy Temple in Jerusalem—namely, the laver, the ark, the showbread table, and the menorah. These motifs express the traditional hope for messianic redemption.

Above the text, the artist has drawn an intricate love knot that has no beginning or end. This is a frequent design element in Italian ketubbot, borrowed from Italian folk culture.

The empty oval at the summit was intended to display the family emblems of the groom’s and bride’s families, though it was never filled. The bride was a member of the celebrated Altaras family, which had its roots in Castille and which produced a number of scholars and printers of Hebrew books.

Physical Description

Ink and gouache on scalloped parchment (31 1/8 x 21 in.; 790 x 532 mm); remnants of thread at summit. Dampstaining, cockling, soiling, and smudging; some paint abraded; fold lines; short tears in outer edges, slightly affecting text near lower-left and lower-right corners; two small holes in upper-left corner. Matted, glazed, and framed; not examined outside of the frame.

Literature

Shalom Sabar, The Art of the Ketubbah: Marriage Contracts from The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, vol. 1 (New York: The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, 2022), 52-73.