That naked bodies existed in the mid-18th century goes without saying. In a world where even Vogue finds its way to discussing tznius, the biblically-inspired modesty that has tended to be applied overwhelmingly to women’s attire, however, some may be surprised to learn that naked female bodies surface in illustrations adorning margins of religious Jewish documents.
A Hebrew and Aramaic marriage certificate, or ketubah, from 1757 Rome, which Kestenbaum & Company sold on Nov. 19 for $60,000, has the typical elements one would expect of a Jewish marriage contract: floral embellishments, lions of Judah, and the appropriate texts. But, notes the Kestenbaum catalog, there are also “seemingly incongruous” design elements as well.
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