The lavish decoration of this printed and hand-painted ketubah
attests to the high esteem in which this art form was held by the
wealthy Sephardim living in the Venice ghetto. The text in this
document is divided in two sections, the ketubah proper at the
right and the conditions at the left, set within a double arch. The
side columns feature additional wedding scenes inspired by Jewish
texts. The association between the ideals of marriage from the past
with Jewish life in contemporary Italy is further illustrated in
the six vignettes that surround the central area containing the
emblem of the bridegroom’s family, De Almeda. The frame enclosing
the text is dominated by painted Signs of the Zodiac interspersed
with plaques containing a wedding poem by the Italian poet and
kabbalist, Rabbi Mordecai Dato (1525?-1593?). At the four corners
are elaborate geometric designs inscribed with miniscule square
writing, which, together with the inscriptions along the frame,
present the entire book of the Song of Songs. This border was so
admired that it was later imitated throughout the Veneto.
Rights
e-codices - Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
