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(FT) Publishers cloth. Folio. 116 pages. 34 cm. First edition. In Hebrew and English. Bound in red cloth with gilt lettering, in illustrated dustjacket, housed in blue boards and faux leather, inserted into case made of boards with printed wraps. "The Ketuba: Jewish marriage contracts through the ages. " Written by David Davidovitch, with a foreword by Cecil Roth, and designed by Avigail and Itshak Yoresh. This exceedingly detailed volume both outlines the community and rabbinic history and practice of the Ketuba, with 18 facsimile full page color illustrated pastedown reproductions, as well as dozens more black and white illustrations, also showing other facets of marriage rites, including contemporary photographs and illuminated manuscripts depicting the elaborate weddings of Yemenite Jews. The Ketubbah; "a document recording the financial obligations which the husband undertakes toward his wife in respect of, and consequent to, their marriage, obligations which in principle are imposed on him by law. … Most Jewish communities have followed the custom of decorating the ketubbah. An Ashkenazi ketubbah from Krems. Austria, dated 1392, shows that illumination was usual among Ashkenazi communities during the Middle Ages. However, the best-known illuminated ketubbot, which date from the 16th century onward, were from Italy, certain Sephardi communities, and from Near and Far Eastern Jewry. Richly illuminated ketubbot, which date from the 17th and 18th centuries, are from Italy, Corfu, the Balkans, and Gibraltar. They are written on parchment and the text is usually bordered by an illuminated frame, depicting a variety of decorative themes in many bright colors. The frame, which is sometimes divided into a diptych, is often illustrated with biblical or mythological motifs, portraits of the bride and groom in contemporary costume, family coats of arms, symbols representing conjugal bliss, and even nude figures. Typical Jewish symbols were used, such as the hands forming the priestly blessing, a sign that the groom was from a family of kohanim, or a ewer and basin indicating a levite. Sometimes, the biblical figures represented in the ketubbah symbolize the bride or groom's name; thus a scene from the life of Joseph might mean that the groom's name was Joseph, a scene from the Book of Ruth that the bride's name was Ruth. Dutch Sephardi ketubbot of the same period are distinguished by their delicate ornamental engraving. They were mainly executed on parchment and are in the best Dutch copper-engraving tradition. An outstanding example is a 1658 Rotterdam ketubbah, executed by Shalom Italia, a copper engraver from Mantua who emigrated to Holland. This ketubbah is rich in biblical motifs. Another famous copperengraved ketubbah, dating from the late 17th century, is decorated with flowers and allegorical figures in the typical Dutch-Jewish contemporary manner. The border contains the date 1693, commemorating the year of the death of the renowned Amsterdam rabbi, Isaac Aboab de Fonseca. " (EJ 2008) Subjects: Jewish illumination of books and manuscripts. Ketubah in art. Outer case torn at edge, otherwise fine. Very good condition. (ART-18-37A)xx. Seller Inventory # 30609
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