Encounters of Beauty 

India

A country with a unique tradition of ketubbah decoration is India. The three examples shown here, two from the Braginsky Collection (nos. 83 and 84) and one from the National Library of Israel (no. 85), feature indigenous animals, such as tigers and lions. In the Braginsky ketubbah of 1854 from Kolkata (no. 84) the three fish (one is especially small) refer to fertility, ​recalling a rabbinic tradition that states that the evil eye has no power under water. The Kochi ketubbah of 1852 from the National Library (no. 85) combines local elements with allusions to the British Empire, as well as other European elements such as columns and rampant lions.

83 

Mumbai, Tuesday, 12 Kislev 5603 (15 November 1842) 

Jacob Hay, son of Isaac David Solomon Rahamim & Mazal-Tov, daughter of Ezekiel Abraham 

Paper 552 x 430 mm 

Braginsky Collection, BCK 141

view the ketubbah