Bidspirit auction | Decorated Hand-Painted Parchment Ketubah –

Decorated Hand-Painted Parchment Ketubah – Amsterdam, 1714 – Signatures of Rabbi Shlomo Ayllon, Rabbi of the Sephardic-Portuguese Community - Decorated parchment ketubah, for the wedding of Immanuel Levi son of Yitzchak Levi Ximenes Belmonte and Esther daughter of Aharon son of Yaakov de Pinto. Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 9th Sivan 5474 [23 May 1714]. Engraving, ink and paint on parchment. This ketubah was written in a format used by the exiles from Spain and Portugal in Amsterdam from the 17th to 19th centuries. Fine copy, professionally painted by hand, with signatures of R. Shlomo Ayllon, Rabbi of the Sephardic-Portuguese community in Amsterdam. The ketubah and Tenaim text are handwritten in Spanish script on a rectangular parchment sheet decorated in a hand-colored engraved frame. The ketubah and Tenaim text also mention a civil document notarized by Dirk van der Groe. At the foot of the ketubah text, and again at the foot of the Tenaim text, are the signatures of the witnesses: Shlomo son of R. Yaakov Ayllon (right) and Yaakov Abeniacar Bondia (left), who sign their names in Hebrew, and the signature of the groom (bottom left) who signs in Spanish. The bottom margins contain another handwritten inscription (in Spanish) with the name of the groom and David Aboab. R. Shlomo Ayllon (ca. 1660-1728), born in Salonika (or Safed), served as emissary of the Safed community in Europe, residing also in Izmir and in Livorno. He was later appointed Rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese (Marrano) community in London. From there, he moved to serve as Rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam, alongside the Chacham Tzvi, then Rabbi of the Ashkenazi community. He was suspected of Sabbateanism, resulting in his involvement in controversies on that issue in London and Amsterdam. 34.5X42 cm. Very good condition. Creases. Light stains only. Contemporary inscription on verso (dated 5474 = 1714). Provenance: Collection of Mozes Heiman Gans; see also his book: M.H. Gans, Memorbook, pp. 115.