Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Michael son of Avraham Khalfon and the bride Rivkah daughter of Raphael Salomon Camondo. The wedding took place in Sarıyer[?], near Kuzguncuk, Constantinople, present day: Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, 9th Tammuz 1849.
Ink, watercolor and gold leaf on paper; silk fabric.
Very large, splendid ketubah, created in honor of the wedding of two prominent banking families – the Khalfon family of Edirne, and the Camondo family, one of the wealthiest and most prominent Jewish families in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. The ketubah is enclosed in a blue rectangular border, decorated with a repetitive foliate pattern of delicate golden olive branches. Masterfully drawn, colorful, symmetric, bouquets of flowers in the upper part of the ketubah; the central bouquet is surrounded by a border of golden branches, with golden sunrays extending from it, covering most of the surface of the ketubah (this motif, which appears also in ketubot from Izmir and Salonika and in ceremonial items from the Ottoman Empire, was presumably inspired by 19th century illuminated Sultanic documents). The lower part of the leaf contains the text of the ketubah, set in a stylized frame of leaves and branches, with verses of blessings in large, gold, square characters. The ketubah text is flanked by a row of red-roofed houses set against a background of trees, portraying the row of houses located on the banks of the Bosphorus. The ketubah is backed with a sheet of high-quality silk fabric, a unique characteristic of this exquisite document, which attests to the affluency of the families of both bride and groom.
Signatures and stamps at the foot of the ketubah: signature of the groom (to the right); ink stamp of the Chacham Bashi, R. Yaakov son of R. David; and two calligraphic signatures of the witnesses, also prominent rabbis in the area: R. Moshe Fresco (right) and Yehoshua Eli (left).
The location of the wedding was not conclusively identified: it may be the Sarıyer area located on the Western (European) side of Istanbul, though the Kuzguncuk area, which was home to a sizable Jewish population until the early 20th century, is on the Eastern (Asian) side of the city.
The bride, Rivkah Camondo (1833-1863), was the daughter of Raphael Salomon Camondo (1810-1866) and granddaughter of Abraham Salomon Camondo, founder of the Camondo family, of Spanish-Portuguese descent. In the early 19th century, the Camondo family controlled banking and real-estate businesses in the Ottoman Empire. They enjoyed close ties with the Sultan's court and lent money to fund imperial projects, thus being granted a special permit to purchase lands. The Camondo family was considered one of the richest and most prominent Jewish families in the Ottoman Empire, renowned for its great wealth, banking, real-estate business and philanthropy. The family also helped found Jewish educational institutions, were involved in the Jewish settlement in Eretz Israel and established beautiful buildings (such as the Camondo palace, Kamondo Sarayi, located on the Golden Horn in Istanbul). In 1867, the family relocated to Paris, where the Nissim de Camondo museum operates until this day. The mausoleum of the family is located in the Haskoy cemetery, Istanbul.
The groom, Michael Khalfon (1829-1890), born in Brașov, Wallachia, was the grandson of Solomon Khalfon (1790-1862), a Jewish banker of Spanish origins, who served as banker of the Ottoman ruler in Edirne (Adrianople), and the son of Avraham Khalfon (1808-1884), Jewish-Spanish banker in Wallachia and Romania, who served as general consul of the Ottoman Empire in Bucharest (the Khalfon family moved from Adrianople to Wallachia in 1829).
In the decade following their wedding (specifically between 1851-1859), the Khalfon-Camondo family bore at least four children – Regina, Salomon, Hortense and Esther.

114X78 cm. Good condition. Some creases and stains, with almost no damage to text and illustrations. No folding marks. Mounted on silk.

Reference and exhibitions:
* Decorated Ketubot, by Shalom Sabar, in: Sephardi Jews in the Ottoman Empire, edited by Esther Juhasz. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1989, pp. 218-237 (Hebrew).
* Turkey, edited by Yaron Ben Naeh, Jerusalem. Yad Ben Zvi, 2010, pp. 248-249 (item no. 16; illustrated) (Hebrew).
* The Art of World Religions: Judaism, by M. Kaniel. Poole, Blandford Press, 1979, p. 133 (illustrated).
* Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
* La splendeur des Camondo, de Constantinople à Paris 1806-1945. Paris, Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, 2009.
* Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Leiden, 2010.
* Istanbul Haggadah. Lod, 2009.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.054.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48837.

Ketubah recording the marriage of the prominent groom R. Avraham Philosoph, and the bride Joya daughter of R. Rafael Moshe HaKohen. Jerusalem, 13 Sivan 1879.
Ink and paint on paper.
Colorful ketubah, typical of 19th century decorated ketubot from Eretz Israel. Set in a floral border divided into two: the upper border is formed as a horseshoe arch and contains flowers, stars and a large vase of flowers; the lower border contains the ketubah text and verses of blessings in gold and maroon, with two additional small floral bouquets. Witnesses' calligraphic signatures at the foot of the ketubah: "Shlomo son of R. Avraham (right) and David son of Gij (left). Groom's signature in the center.
The groom – R. Avraham Philosoph (1864-1940) – later known as a leading rabbi of Jerusalem. Born in Larissa (close to Salonika, Greece), he immigrated with his parents to Jerusalem as an infant. He studied Torah under the Torah scholars of Jerusalem, in particular R. Baruch Pinto (a relative of his wife). He studied kabbalah under R. Yitzchak Shrem, and was amongst the kabbalists of the Beit El yeshiva. In 1897, he was appointed dayan in the Beit Din of R. Yaakov Shimon Matalon, together with his teacher R. Yitzchak Shrem. He became a member of the chief rabbinate upon its foundation in 1921, together with R. Tzvi Pesach Frank, and in 1926, he was appointed head of the Sephardi Beit Din. He held public positions and was a leader of the Sephardic community in Jerusalem.
Interestingly, the book Yehudei HaMizrach by M.D. Gaon (p. 551) records that the wedding of R. Avraham and his wife Joya daughter of R. Rafael Moshe HaKohen took place in Sivan 1881; the present ketubah verifies however that the wedding was actually held in Sivan 1879.

76X54 cm. Fair-good condition. Folding marks, stains and creases. Tears along folds, slightly affecting text and illustrations, repaired in part.

Provenance:
* Kedem, Jerusalem, auction 33, 28 August 2013, lot no. 25.
* The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.268.
The ketubah is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48870.

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Yitzchak son of Yaakov Bibas, to the bride Dona daughter of David Cazes. Tétouan, Morocco, 3 Elul 1852.
Ink and paint on parchment.
Parchment ketubah, following the custom of the megorashim – Spanish exiles in Morocco. Designed and decorated according to the North African tradition, influenced by Islamic art. Poly-lobed horseshoe arch in the center of the ketubah (in Moorish architectural style), containing the text of the ketubah. Closely drawn vegetal patterns in green and red surround the arch, with a pair of large birds, two big flowers and two vases. The arch rests on two architectural pillars. Verses of blessings in the upper part of the leaf, inscribed in three stylized arches, separated by additional vegetal designs.
The text of the ketubah follows the customs of the megorashim (Spanish exiles in Morocco), as the ketubah concludes: "And everything according to the custom, conditions and regulations which were observed and instituted in the holy communities which were exiled from Castile, may G-d avenge them, have mercy and console their surviving remnants now and forever…". Witnesses' signatures at the foot of the text: Yitzchak Nahon and Avraham Anahory.
The Bibas family was a prominent rabbinic family in Tétouan, as indicated by the Yachas HaKetubah which lists the groom's ancestors nine generations back (see Hebrew description), up until the name of the founder of the dynasty, R. Chaim Bibas (the first), a Spanish exile in Fez. In 1530, R. Chaim Bibas was invited by the community of Tétouan to serve as their rabbi and dayan, and his descendants throughout the generations served as rabbis there.

49X37 cm. Overall good condition. Creases and stains.

Reference and exhibitions:
* Jewish Life in Morocco, edited by Aviva Müller-Lancet. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1983, p. 109 (Hebrew).
* La Ketubbah illustrée en Afrique du Nord, by Shalom Sabar, in: Studies in the History and Culture of North African Jewry, edited by Issachar Ben-Ami. Jerusalem, Communate Israelite Nord-Africaine, 1991, p. 196 (Hebrew).
* Better is the Sight of the Eyes: The Depiction of the Marriage Between God and Israel in Jewish Art and Illustrated Shavu’ot Ketubot, by Shalom Sabar, in: Ketubot and Tena’im for the Shavu’ot Holiday in Jewish Communities, by Meyer Nezri. Jerusalem, Mossad HaRav Kook, 2020, p. 644 (Hebrew).
* From the Remotest West, Tel Aviv, Eretz Israel Museum, 1989.
* The Sephardic Journey: 1492-1992, edited by Marc Engel, Shalom Sabar and Chaya Benjamin. New York, Yeshiva University Museum, 1992, p. 79.
* Sephardi Elements in North African Hebrew Manuscript Decoration, by Shalom Sabar, in: Jewish Art, vol. 18, 1992, pp. 168-191, (illustrated on page 186).
* Faces of Faith. Washington, Klutznick National Jewish Museum, 1994.
* Arts et Cultures du Maroc: Un jardin d'objets, by Marie-Rose Rabaté and André Goldenberg. Paris, 2004, p. 244.
* L’Art chez les Juifs du Maroc, by André Goldenberg. Paris, Somogy, 2014, p. 182.
Provenance:
* Christie's, New York, 9 October 1980, lot no. 54.
* The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.012.002.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48899.

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Yaakov son of Yosef, to the bride Miriam daughter of Shmuel. Yazd, Iran, 24 Kislev 1800.
Ink and paint on paper.
Ketubah decorated with rich, colorful illustrations, inspired by Islamic manuscript ornamentation in general, and Persian art in particular. One of the earliest known ketubot from Yazd, and perhaps even the earliest. The text of the ketubah occupies the center of the leaf; each line of text aligned at the top to a dark red, double line. Decorative border of repetitive floral and foliate motifs, containing stylized medallions: five medallions with rich, delicate illustrations of flowers, birds and a cypress tree in the upper margin, and eight empty medallions in the lower margin. Addition in Judeo-Persian (in Hebrew characters) at the foot of the ketubah, signed by eight witnesses.

61.5X50 cm. Fair condition. Folding marks, creases and stains. Tears, affecting text and ornaments, partially professionally restored.

Reference and exhibitions:
* Shushan Haggadah: Persian Jewry. Lod, Matan, [2007], pp. 74-75, 78-79 (Hebrew).
* Light and Shadows: the Story of Iran and the Jews, by Hagai Segev and Orit Engelberg Baram. Tel Aviv, Beit Hatfutsot, 2010, p. 109 (Hebrew).
* Light and Shadows: the Story of Iranian Jews, edited by David Yeroushalmi. Los Angeles, Fowler Museum at UCLA / Tel Aviv, Beit Hatfutsot, 2012, p. 75.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.027.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website, and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 45777.

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Avraham son of R. Meir and the bride Feigele daughter of R. David Kohen. Cochin (present day: Kochi), India, 3 Adar 1790.
Ink and paint on paper.
Particularly elaborate and splendid ketubah, with gilt decorations and delicate floral illustrations, inspired by Islamic art. The upper two pointed arches contain verses of blessings, while the lower arch contains the text of the ketubah and the witnesses' signatures: Avraham Rahabi, Moshe Tobi, and an additional signature (difficult to decipher). The borders framing the ketubah text and arches are colored in deep red (and occasionally also in blue), which together with the gold decorations impart to this ketubah its glorious splendor.
On the verso of the ketubah, inscription (penciled) handwritten by a British missionary (of Jewish descent) Joseph Wolff (1795-1862), with a dedication addressed to his friend, the British diplomat and writer John Hookham Frere (1769-1846). Wolff, an adventurous missionary who made many trips around the world, refers to the present document as a "Prayer of the Jews of Cochin in the Malabar" (the Jews of Cochin are also known as the Jews of Malabar, after the Malabar coast where Cochin is located).
Joseph Wolff travelled to the Asian continent in 1827-1834, and in 1833, he reported to Frere in a brief letter that he was in Malabar (see: John Hookham Frere and his friends, by Gabrielle Festing, London, 1899, p. 290). He presumably purchased this ketubah on that occasion.
One of the earliest known ketubot from Cochin, and among the most splendid of them.

55X43 cm. Overall good condition. Folding marks and creases, slightly affecting ornaments and text. Some stains. Mounted for preservation; some paper remnants on verso.

Reference and exhibitions:
* Mechira Pumbit, vol. 36, 2003, p. 23 (Hebrew).
* Moreshet, Zionut VeDemokratia, by Yoel Rappel. Tel Aviv, Miskal, 2003, p. 39 (Hebrew).
* The Jews of India. Jerusalem, Israel Museum, 1995-1996, p. 177.
* Reise an kein Ende der Welt. Vienna, Jüdisches Museum Wien, 2001, pp. 68-69.
* Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
Provenance:
* Purchased in Cochin, by Joseph Wolff, ca. 1833.
* Collection of John Hookham Frere (1769-1846).
* Private collection, England.
* Purchased at auction in England, ca. 1988.
* The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.028.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website, and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 45778.
The ketubah was also illustrated in the Passover Haggadah – Haggadah de Pessah, En hommage aux Juifs d'Inde. Lod, 2010, pp. 2-3.