Marriage Contract

Marriage is one of the most important mitzvot, or commandments, in Judaism, and Scriptures are replete with verses encouraging the union of man and woman. One of the essential elements of a Jewish wedding ceremony is the writing and transfer of a marriage contract, or ketubbah (plural, ketubbot). The ketubbah was originally formulated to protect a woman's rights in marriage by establishing the financial obligations of the groom toward his bride in cases of divorce or death.

Ketubbot produced in the Near East are usually written on paper, and they are strongly influenced by Islamic art in their lack of figures and their decoration with aniconic motifs. Persia was the most important center of ketubbah illumination in the Islamic world. In fact, Muslim law requires a contract in order to legalize a marriage, and in Persia it was customary for Muslims to decorate marriage contracts. Since Jewish law also required a contract, Persian Jews seem to have modeled their marriage contracts on those of the Muslims. Different ornamental traditions developed in the various cities where Persian Jews lived including Isfahan, Yezd, Hamadan, and Tehran where this example originated. The composition of this ketubbah consists of a decorated panel at top and a series of gilt frames below, each inscribed with a text. This format was influenced by Persian book decoration and is also found on many Muslim marriage contracts.