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. Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal at the end of the 15th century brought the tradition of decorating the ketubbah (marriage contract) to the lands where they settled, including Italy, Holland, England, North Africa, and the Ottoman Empire. The practice flourished in Italy, where there was a long tradition of decorating documents and where reading the ketubbah aloud during the marriage ceremony became popular in the 16th century. The decoration of a ketubbah was not only an embellishment, but was included also for practical reasons. A major concern of Spanish rabbis was that no changes be made to the provisions of the ketubbot after they were signed.

Italian ketubbot stem predominantly from the northern part of the country, with a few examples from central Italy, since Jews had been expelled from other regions before the form became popular. Written in parchment, they usually feature lavish ornamentation, inspired by both Jewish and Christian art. During the 18th century, decorations-ranging from biblical scenes to the signs of the zodiac-became so extravagant that rabbis enacted laws limiting expenditures on marriage contracts. This beautiful example comes from the city of Verona, where Jewish settlement may date to as early as the Roman period. Above the text, within a shield topped by a portrait of a man with a feathery headdress, are the coats-of-arms: at left, a squirrel perched against a fruit tree, symbol of the D'Italia family of printers to which the bride belonged; at right, the zodiac sign of Pisces within a Star of David for the groom. Affluent Italian Jewish families often adopted an unofficial coat of arms in imitation of local nobility. On the contract, the amount stipulated to be paid by the husband or his heirs in case of divorce or death is half the customary amount, since the bride was a widow.