Obj. ID: 48901
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts  Ketubbah, Bordeaux, 1748

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

A Ketubah (Hebrew: כְּתוּבָּה ; "written thing"; pl. Ketubot) is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. The content of the Ketubah is in essence a one-way contract that formalizes the various requirements by Halacha (Jewish law) of a Jewish husband vis à vis his wife. The Jewish husband takes upon himself in the Ketubah the obligation that he will provide to his wife three major things: clothing, food and conjugal relations, and also that he will pay her a pre-specified amount of cash in the case of a divorce. Thus the content of the Ketubah essentially dictates security and protection for the woman, and her rights in the marriage.

This document is signed and then given to the bride as her property. In Italy and most of the Islamic countries in which Jews resided, such a Ketubah was often decorated, a tradition originating with the Jews in Spain. Today, generally, printed Ketubot are used.

 The floral decoration and the modest size are typical of the Ketubot created for the small community of Sephardic Jews residing in Bordeaux in the 18th century. Noteworthy is the fact the bridegroom and all the witnesses, save one, signed the Ketubah in Portuguese.  The Ketubah is extremely rare, however, for the fact that it is accompanied by an official literal translation into French. The translation was done by Joseph Paez de Leon, who, in all likelihood, was the scribe for the Ketubah as well. Most translations did not survive.

This wedding took place in Bordeaux on Wednesday January 17, 1748 (17 Shevat 5508).

Groom:                             Yitzhak ben David Rodrigues

Bride:                                Yehudit bat Daniel Lopez Dias