Decorated parchment ketubah, for the wedding of Yeshayah Moshe son of Michael Shabtai Mondolfo and Juditta daughter of Avraham Chaim Barocci. Senigallia, Italy, 13 Adar II 5603 [March 15, 1843]; illustrated 18th-century frame.

Ink and paint on parchment; cotton threads.

The ketubah text appears in the center, inside a square frame, followed by the signatures of the groom (on the right) and two witnesses: Yaakov Chaim Moscato and Yosef son of Yitzchak Ascoli. The blue frame around the text is sewn on the margins into a large rectangular parchment sheet, which had served as a frame in an earlier ketubah, apparently from the 1760s.

The reuse of decorated frames of older ketubot was a unique practice of Italian Jews and is also discernible in other Italian ketubot (see below).

The decorated frame, fashioned from an originally rectangular parchment sheet, presents illustrations divided into two parts: the upper third features a large arch with a magnificent illustration of Jerusalem and a Biblical verse celebrating the city; this illustration is enriched by twisting vines bearing leaves and fruits, birds and roosters, elegantly incorporating verses from Tehillim and illustrations of these verses. Near the bases of the arch stand two fountains with spouts shaped as angels and bathers, with large fish adorning their bases. The two upper corners feature female angels blowing trumpets. The bottom two thirds showcase no fewer than 36 charming miniature illustrations, exquisitely drawn and colored, artfully arranged among a host of cartouches and frames embellished with flower bouquets, incorporating Biblical verses, principally from Shir HaShirim (but also from Bereshit and Yeshayahu). These illustrations encompass the symbols of the twelve tribes, the twelve zodiac signs and a dozen illustrated verses, several relating to the yearly calendar.

A small Jewish community lived in Senigallia from the 14th century and was in close contact with the large community of the nearby Ancona. The design of the ketubot of Senigallia was therefore influenced by the aesthetic traditions prevalent in northern Italy, and the present ketubah is a fine exemplar of this influence; five more ketubot decorated in this pattern are documented, the earliest from Ragusa (Dubrovnik), dated to the 1670s. Other ketubot in this style are documented from Verona, Livorno, Acqui, as well as another ketubah from Senigallia dated 1763.

74X52 cm. Overall good condition. Creases and stains, slightly affecting illustrations (most illustrations in good condition). Minor tears to parchment and several pieces missing, professionally restored.

For further information and comparison, see: Shalom Sabar (2022), Vol. I, Nos. 227, 41, 83, 123, 1 (KET 208, KET 17, KET 210, KET 206, KET 296).

On the reuse of decorated ketubot in Italy, see notes of Prof. Shalom Sabar to ketubot K105 and K96 of the René Braginsky Collection, and see: Sabar (2022), Vol. I, No. 1 (KET 296).

This ketubah is documented on the NLI Ketubot website, listing 990003035630205171.