A Ketubbah, meaning “writ,” is, traditionally, a pre-nuptual contract that stipulates the obligations a groom takes upon himself should he divorce or pre-decease his wife. Through the Middle Ages, the vast majority of ketubbot (pl. of ketubah) looked like common contracts, which were very rarely enhanced with simple decoration. But beginning in early modernity, ketubbot were more commonly magnificently decorated, and they remain one of the most outstanding media for Jewish artistic creativity. 

The unusual modern ketubah you see here features the shaking hands, representing the agreement between the parties, in the top circle, and a crown, perhaps representing the “royalty” of the bride and groom on their wedding day, in the bottom one. Particularly noteworthy are the two clocks on the top of the columns, each showing 6:13—the number (613) of mitzvot traditionally understood to be commanded by the Torah. However “untraditional” this ketubah is artistically, its connections with the tradition are unmistakable.