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Handthrown ceramic vase with relief design of birds used by a German Jewish refugee family

Object | Accession Number: 2005.564.3
2005.564.3 front Handthrown ceramic vase with relief design of birds used by a German Jewish refugee family Click to enlarge

Vase brought in a steamer trunk by 13 year old Edith Simon when she, her parents, Willy and Greta, and her sisters, Lotte and Gerda, emigrated from Leipzig, Germany, to the United States in 1937. The vase was a family heirloom, orignally owned by Hedwig Maerker, Edith's grandmother, who was killed in Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942.

Date
emigration:  1937
Geography
use: Leipzig (Germany)
Classification
Decorative Arts
Category
Ceramics
Object Type
Vases (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ellen, Erin, and Mark Rosenthal

About This Object

Physical Description
Hand thrown, bulbous shaped, ceramic vase with a round base and a wide body that tapers to the flared lip opening. It is glazed in brown and gold, with a high relief design of birds, branches with leaves, acorns, and a fox. The lip and base are textured with smooth edges. There are 4 green felt feet on the base.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 8.250 inches (20.955 cm) | Width: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm)
Materials
overall : clay, glaze, felt, adhesive
Contributor
Subject: Edith Rosenthal
Biography
Edith Simon (1923-2009) was born on February 26, 1923, in Leipzig, Germany, to William and Margaret (Grete) Maerker Simon. Grete’s parents were Louis and Hedwig Weil Maerker. Edith had two sisters, Lotte, born in 1925, and Gerda, born in 1921. Grete and Willy married in Bernburg and settled in Leipzig where Willy operated a prosperous real estate and mortgage business. His business did well even during the difficult economic conditions of the 1920s. But after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 with the growing persecution of Jews and boycotts of their businesses, her father's business began to fail. The family left Germany for the United States in 1937 and settled in Philadelphia. She married Harry Rosenthal and they had two children. Many family members were deported to Theresienstadt and other concentration camps where they were killed.

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The vase was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Mark, Ellen, and Erin Rosenthal, the son, the daughter-in-law, and granddaughter of Edith Simon Rosenthal.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2020-06-30 09:23:56
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn518093

Also in Edith Simon Rosenthal collection

The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and a photograph album relating to the experiences of Edith Simon Rosenthal and her family in Leipzig, Germany, prior to their emigration to the United States in 1937.

Edith Simon Rosenthal papers

Edith Simon Rosenthal papers

Document

The collection includes a family photograph album and Edith Simon Rosenthal's birth, vaccination, and naturalization certificates documenting the lives of the Simon family from Leipzig, Germany before World War II and their immigration to the United States.

Large, gold painted tin camelback trunk used by a German Jewish refugee family

Large, gold painted tin camelback trunk used by a German Jewish refugee family

Object

Large, intricately designed camelback trunk used by 13 year old Edith Simon when she, her parents, Willy and Greta, and her sisters, Lotte and Gerda, emigrated from Leipzig, Germany, to the United States in 1937. The trunk was originally owned by Edith's grandmother, Hedwig Maerker, who was killed in Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Floral and lion patterned needlepoint table covering saved by a German Jewish refugee family

Object

Bed or table covering brought in a steamer trunk by 13 year old Edith Simon when she, her parents, Willy and Greta, and her sisters, Lotte and Gerda, emigrated from Leipzig, Germany, to the United States in 1937. The needlepoint covering was made in the early years of the 20th century by Hedwig Maerker, Edith's grandmother, who was killed in Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust.

View All 4 Items in the Collection