Ketubah : Kerkyra, Greece, 1768, September 23

Marriage contract, manuscript, ink and paint on vellum, dated 12 Tishre 5529 at Korfu (1768). The document has a scalloped top. Two columns of text are surrounded by two arches, which are enclosed in a border composed of medallions, in which are images of the signs of the zodiac intermingled with seasonal and biblical scenes. The biblical scenes include the binding of Isaac, Jacob�s dream, King David holding a lyre, and Moses holding the Ten Commandments. The text is in block characters and cursive. Below the ketubah text, the date and place of the marriage, and the signature of Elia Coen Ara, appear in Italian. At the top is a cartouche with a saying: may the bride and groom flourish like a cedar of Lebanon. There are obligations mentioned in the body of the text in which the bride promises to serve her husband in purity as is customary among daughters of Israel. This ketubah follows the unique tradition of Corfu ketubot in dual reckoning of time from the creation of the world and the destruction of the Temple.