Auction 101 Part 1 Special Auction: Ketubot | Megillot | Haggadot | Books | Jewish Ceremonial Art
Parchment Ketubah, Decorated with Micrography – Modena, 1749 – Norzi and Levi Families – Signatures of Rabbis of Modena
Opening: $8,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $10,000
Including buyer's premium
Decorated parchment ketubah, for the wedding of Yehudah Shmuel son of David Norzi and Miriam daughter of Avraham Chai HaLevi. Modena ("Modona"), Italy, 12 Cheshvan 5510 [October 24, 1749].
Ink and paint on parchment.
Written on a rectangular sheet of parchment. The ketubah text is featured in the center, in square script, followed by the signatures of two witnesses in Italian cursive script: Avraham Chai son of R. Netanel Graziano and Yitzchak son of R. Moshe Formiggini.
Decorated with micrography in black and red. The upper part features a large crown comprised of verses from Song of Songs, below which is a cartouche with two family coats of arms: on the right is the coat of arms of the groom's family, Norzi (Norsa) – three heads with ribbons banded around the forehead, with a crescent in between them; and on the left is the coat of arms of the bride's family, Levi (HaLevi) – a hand holding a jar pouring water into a basin. The family coats of arms are drawn with dashed lines. The cartouche frame incorporates Biblical verses relating to the names of the bride and groom. To the left and right of the cartouche are a pair of birds standing on twisting shoots emerging from the capitals of a pair of tall pillars. The space between the pillars is decorated in the form of a woman (siren?) reminiscent of Renaissance-style decorations.
The ketubah is surrounded by a rectangular frame composed of alternating black and red triangles composed of the text of blessings and Biblical verses from Tehillim and Yeshayahu. The lower left corner bears the signature of the artist: "Bentzion Refael son of Yehudah HaLevi".
The two witnesses who signed the ketubah served as rabbis in Modena: R. Avraham Chai Graziano, a rabbi of Modena (d. 1761) was a benefactor of R. Chaim ibn Attar, the Or HaChaim, during his stay in Modena, and also authored an approbation to his book; R. Yitzchak Formiggini was also an important rabbi in Modena, and was an associate of the Chida.
A color photograph of the ketubah was published in: Jay Weinstein, A Collectors' Guide to Judaica, London, 1985 – item 26, no. 259.
61.5X43.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and dampstains, affecting text and decorations. Tears professionally restored.
For similar ketubot, see: Shalom Sabar (2022), Vol. I, Nos. 15-16 (KET 334, KET 295).