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 ketubbah you see here, from Istanbul, Turkey, is simply but abundantly decorated with colorful floral motifs and abundant gold powder. In contrast with the framing, the text itself is sloppily written in a non-scribal hand.