Obj. ID: 54605
  Ephemera  Wedding Poem, Venice, circa 1750

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The Hebrew wedding poem, composed by friends and family of the bridal couple, was an integral part of this popular genre among both Christians and Jews in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The form usually began with an honorific statement praising the bridal couple and their families and expressing good wishes. The central section was the poem itself, specially composed for the occasion. The form was often either sonnets or poems of multiple stanzas with regular allusions to and printing emphasis for the names of the couple. The last section was the salutation from and the signature of the author. While mostly found as printed documents, there are manuscript versions known as well. Both sorts exist in the Gross Family Collection.

According to the names involved, this poem was apparently written by a relative of the bride, perhaps her brother. The trumpeting and drumming angels depicted above were often used on wedding poem printed sheets as if the angels were announcing the coming betrothal.

Groom:                             Menachem ben Ya'akov Raba

Bride:                                Mazal Tov bat Yehudah Pontanilah