Rare Illuminated Parchment Ketubah – The Karaite Community in Troki, Lithuania, 1750

Rare Illuminated Parchment Ketubah – The Karaite Community in Troki, Lithuania, 1750

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Avraham son of Mordechai (the dayan), and the bride Shlomit daughter of Shmuel (the judge). Troki (Trakai, Lithuania), 17th Adar II 1750.
Ink and paint on parchment.
Unique, rare ketubah, whether in regard to its provenance from the Karaite community in Troki, its illuminations, and it being scribed on parchment. The ketubah, richly illuminated in a royal palette of dark blue, red and gold, reflects the unique customs and text of the Karaite community: the text of the ketubah is written in Hebrew (rather than Aramaic), and the document is divided in two – the upper part contains the ketubah, while the lower part lists the dowry the bride would be bringing into her husband's home. The ketubah is signed by ten witnesses. Alongside the list of witnesses (titled "and these are the elders"), dozens of groomsmen are listed (under the heading "and these are the groomsmen"). Interestingly, although the text states that the ketubah was signed on a Thursday, 17 Adar II 1750 was in fact a Wednesday.
The ketubah text mentions King Augustus III (1696-1763), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It also mentions the couple's mutual commitment to the Karaite calendar "as stipulated on Mount Sinai…".
Set in a wide, dark-blue border, decorated with acanthus leaves and medallions framing various mythological animals: four medallions with a dark blue background feature a unicorn, stag, three dogs chasing each other in a circle and a griffin; four medallions with a red background feature a crowned, open-winged eagle (emblem of Poland), a bird holding a branch in its beak, another bird, and a crowned lion, langued.
The word BeYom opening the ketubah text (decorated with a crown), as well as the headings of the different section are scribed in large, square Gothic-Ashkenazic characters, in gold with a red outline. The animal illustrations were presumably influenced by Galician art. The style of the script reflects the impact of late-medieval Ashkenazic manuscripts. Gilding to some of the illustrations.
To the best of our knowledge, no other Karaite ketubot originating from 18th century Lithuania have been discovered; furthermore, the research does not document any other ketubah from Troki (Trakai). See following item and item no. 60 in this catalogue (embroidered cloth from the Karaite community in Göslöw).

49X46 cm. Fair-good condition. Folding marks, creases, stains and wear, affecting text and illustrations in several places. Dampstains.

Reference: Karaite Jews in the East, in: Peamim, 90, Jerusalem, Yad Ben Zvi, 2002.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.012.010.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 48903.