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LOT 2:
Decorated Ketubah, Diyarbakır – Turkish Kurdistan, 1929
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Decorated Ketubah, Diyarbakır – Turkish Kurdistan, 1929
Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Eliyahu son of Siman to the bride Julia daughter of Tzemach HaKohen. Diyarbakır, Turkish Kurdistan (present day: Turkey), 14th Tishrei 1929.
Ink and paint on paper.
Large, decorated ketubah, characteristic of Jewish folk ornamentation in Turkish Kurdistan. The text of the ketubah occupies the center of the leaf and its lower half, and is surrounded on all sides by geometric and vegetal ornaments in yellow, orange and brown. The ornaments include seven large flowers set in concentric circles, foliate branches and repetitive geometric patterns. Two borders comprising verses of blessings, one surrounding the text of the ketubah and central ornament above it, and the other surrounding the entire leaf (apart from lower margin). Witnesses' signatures at the foot of the ketubah: Chaim son of Reuven HaLevi, Meir son of Moshe Ajami and Yaakov son of Avraham.
Diyarbakır, Turkish Kurdistan, was home to a Jewish population for centuries, until the 1950s. Nevertheless, there are only a few extant ketubot from this city, mostly non-decorated. A similar ketubah, scribed and decorated by the same artist, is held in the NLI collection in Jerusalem (Ms. Heb. 901.478=1), and was presented at the "Jews of Kurdistan" exhibition in the Israel Museum (see below).
82X56 cm. Fair condition. Many creases, tears and wear, occasionally affecting text and ornaments. Stains. Paper strips pasted on margins for preservation and reinforcement.
Reference and exhibitions:
* The Jews of Kurdistan: Daily Life, Customs, Arts and Crafts, by Ora Schwartz-Be'eri. Jerusalem, Israel Museum, 1981, p. 238.
* Lots of luck: Jewish Amulets and Ritual Objects, edited by Yael Wiesel and Sara Shahak. Ashdod, the Museum of Philistine Culture, 2013, p. 30 (Hebrew).
* Recalling a Forgotten Community: Jews of Diyarbakır by Süleyman Şanlı, in: Folklor, Edebiyat, 26, 103. Haspolat (Cyprus), Uluslararası Kıbrıs Üniversitesi, 2020, pp. 545-558.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.124.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website, and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48853.
