Select manuscript from this collection: B26  K86 K94  S102  69/107

Country of Location:
Country of Location
Switzerland
Location:
Location
Zürich
Library / Collection:
Library / Collection
Braginsky Collection
Shelfmark:
Shelfmark
K91
Manuscript Title:
Manuscript Title
Ketubba (כתובה), Bayonne, 11. Tewet 5456 (7 December 1695)
Caption:
Caption
Parchment · 1 f. · 64.5 x 61.7 cm · Bayonne · 1695
Language:
Language
Hebrew
Manuscript Summary:
Manuscript Summary
David, son of Daniel Coelho Enriques (or Henriques) and Dona Rachel, daughter of Abraham Enriques Da Costa, were members of a families of religious refugees from Spain and Portugal in the town of Bayonne in Southern France near the Atlantic coast. Like other Sephardic ketubot, their marriage contract does not contain depictions of human figures, which distinguishes them from ones from Italy or Amsterdam. The sharp contrast between dark ink and white parchment, the dots and the hatching give the impression of a copper engraving. The verses, written in elegant, square Sephardic script, contain praises of the bride and groom. (flu)
DOI (Digital Object Identifier):
DOI (Digital Object Identifier
10.5076/e-codices-bc-k-0091 (http://dx.doi.org/10.5076/e-codices-bc-k-0091)
Permanent link:
Permanent link
https://e-codices.ch/en/list/one/bc/k-0091
IIIF Manifest URL:
IIIF Manifest URL
IIIF Drag-n-drop https://e-codices.ch/metadata/iiif/bc-k-0091/manifest.json
How to quote:
How to quote
Zürich, Braginsky Collection, K91: Ketubba (כתובה), Bayonne, 11. Tewet 5456 (7 December 1695) (https://e-codices.ch/en/list/one/bc/k-0091).
Online Since:
Online Since
12/14/2018
External resources:
External resources
Rights:
Rights
Images:
(Concerning all other rights see each manuscript description and our Terms of use)
Document Type:
Document Type
Document
Century:
Century
17th century
Dated:
Dated
1695
Decoration:
Decoration
Margin, Ornamental, Penwork
Liturgica hebraica:
Liturgica hebraica
Ketubbah
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e-codices · 12/09/2018, 13:05:39

Auch die Stadt Bayonne an der südfranzösischen Atlantikküste nahm Glaubensflüchtlinge aus Spanien und Portugal auf. Doch waren die Zuwanderer hier zahlreichen Einschränkungen unterworfen. So durften sie sich zunächst nicht im Einzelhandel betätigen. 1636 kam es sogar zu Ausweisungen, und erst nahezu hundert Jahre später wurde den bis dahin „Neuchristen“ genannten Juden in Bayonne wieder die öffentliche Ausübung ihres jüdischen Glaubens gestattet. Im Unterschied zu den Ketubbot aus Italien und Amsterdam zeigen die aus dem übrigen sefardischen Kulturkreis in Westeuropa stammenden Exemplare keine figürlichen Darstellungen, sondern ausschliesslich ornamentale und florale Muster, in erster Linie von einheimischen Künstlern geschaffen. Sie verzierten mit diesen Mustern nicht nur Ketubbot, sondern auch Estherrollen, Pessach-Haggadot und Omer-Kalender. Der scharfe Kontrast von dunkler Tinte und weissem Pergament betont den akkurat symmetrisch angelegten Dekor. Punkte und feine Schraffuren lassen den Eindruck entstehen, es handle sich um einen Kupferstich.
In die Krone sind die Worte eingeschrieben: „Eine tugendsame Frau ist eine Krone ihres Mannes“ (Sprüche 12:4). Unmittelbare Bezüge zum Brautpaar finden sich in den sorgfältig ausgewählten Bibelstellen der seitlichen Randstreifen. Die in eleganter sefardischer Quadratschrift ausgeführten Verse auf der rechten Seite preisen den Bräutigam: „Und David war erfolgreich in all seinem Tun, denn der Herr war mit ihm“ (1. Samuel 18:14). Auf der linken Seite gilt der Lobpreis der Braut: „Viele Frauen halten sich tugendsam, du aber übertriffst sie alle“ (Sprüche 31:29). In einem Vers zum Lob der biblischen Heroine Jael – „Gesegnet sei unter den Frauen Jael“ (Richter 5:24) – hat der Kalligraf deren Namen kurzerhand durch „Rachel“ ersetzt, den Namen der Braut.

Schöne Seiten. Jüdische Schriftkultur aus der Braginsky Collection, Hrsg. von Emile Schrijver und Falk Wiesemann, Zürich 2011, S. 210.

e-codices · 12/09/2018, 12:55:03

This rare ketubbah commemorates a wedding within the small but prominent Jewish community of the town of Bayonne, located in southwestern France near the Atlantic coast. The community was founded by anusim who fled the Portuguese inquisition in the sixteenth century and settled in select towns in the south of France. At first, the merchants among the anusim were prohibited from dealing in retail trade. In 1636 several Jewish families were expelled from the town. The Jews of Bayonne were not permitted to openly and officially practice Judaism before 1723.
The decoration of this ketubbah reflects styles and designs common among Western European Sep- hardim. In most communities, aside from those in Holland and Italy, depictions of human figures were avoided, while floral motifs and diverse decorative designs were emphasized. These contracts were created primarily by Sephardic folk artists who executed a variety of other works for their communi- ties, such as Esther scrolls, Passover Haggadot, and Omer calendars. The present example is decorated only with ink, creating a sharp contrast between the clear white background and the emphatic black ink. The mostly floral designs are dappled with dots and tiny lines that create the look of a copper engraving. Appearing at the top center is a large crown with seven knobs that alludes to the accompanying inscription, “A wife of noble character is her hus- band’s crown” (Proverbs 12:4).
Direct references to the bridal couple are found in the carefully selected verses that fill the borders of the ketubbah. Written in elegant, square Sephardic script, the inscriptions relate to two topics: wedding ideals and blessings to the bridal couple. Thus, the biblical verses along the right border are dedicated to the bridegroom, David Enriques, and extoll the figure of David (“David was successful in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.” [I Samuel 18:14, and I Chronicles 12:19]), while those at left are for the bride, Rachel Enriques Da Costa, and high- light her beauty and good qualities (“Many women have done well, but you surpass them all.” [Proverbs 31:29, and Song of Songs 6:9]). Moreover, in a verse extolling Yael (Judges 5:24), the scribe ingeniously replaced the name of the biblical heroine with that of Rachel: “Most blessed of women be Rachel.”

A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 210.

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Schöne Seiten. Jüdische Schriftkultur aus der Braginsky Collection, Hrsg. von Emile Schrijver und Falk Wiesemann, Zürich 2011, S. 210.

A Journey through Jewish Worlds. Highlights from the Braginsky collection of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, hrsg. E. M. Cohen, S. L. Mintz, E. G. L. Schrijver, Amsterdam, 2009, p. 210.

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