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. 

This richly decorated ketubbah is typical of Italian ketubbot of its time, several of which display near identical decorative programs. The “putti” (angels) near the top are among the common, easily identified, elements of this genre. The empty space for the “coat of arms” near the top suggests that it was produced “generically,” before it was bought for use by the families named in the text. 

The decorative panel surrounding the text includes symbols for signs of the Zodiac, which had long been popular among Jews, as well as vessels of the Jerusalem Temple (the menorah, a laver, etc.) in circles at the four corners. This would have been a thoroughly “traditional” ketubbah for a wealthy Jewish family. 

The text is divided into two columns, with the text of the actual ketubbah on the right and of the “tenaim” (the “conditions”) on the left. These two pre-nuptual agreements were often combined on a single document, though they were more often recorded independently.