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Ceramic change holder in the shape of an Orthodox Jewish man

Object | Accession Number: 2016.184.4

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    Ceramic change holder in the shape of an Orthodox Jewish man

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Late 19th or early 20th century ceramic change holder in the shape of an Orthodox Jewish man standing on top of a shallow dish labelled, “The Old Pal.” The figurine was produced by the Schafer and Vater Porcelain Factory in Volkstedt Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany. The company was established in 1890, and by 1910, their goods were distributed in the United States by Sears Roebuck Company. The man has very long, bushy sidelocks, a stereotypical physical feature commonly attributed to Jewish men. The man’s black clothing and the kippah conform to the Jewish concept of tzniyus (modest dress and behavior), which Orthodox Jews adhere to for religious reasons. Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional and stringent of the three main branches of modern Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe the Torah is of divine origin and strive to adhere to the 613 commandments of Jewish Law. The long, black suit-style jacket is either a “rekel” or a “bekishe.” The resemblance of the man’s eyes and nose to gold coins and his presence on the coin dish, are likely references to the antisemitic stereotype of the greedy Jew who exploits gentiles for their own economic advantage. This stereotype originated from the economic and professional restrictions placed on early European Jews. They were barred from owning land, farming, joining trade guilds, and military service. These restrictions forced many Jews into occupations such as money changing or money lending. Additionally, medieval religious belief held that charging interest (known as usury) was sinful, and the Jews who occupied these professions were looked down upon predominantly by Medieval Christians. They were perceived as morally deficient, greedy, and willing to engage in unethical business practices. This change holder is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
    Date
    manufacture:  1890-1962
    Geography
    manufacture: Germany
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
    Markings
    front, handwritten, black ink : The Old Pal
    underside, handwritten, black ink : illegible
    underside, lower right corner, pressed: three-point crown above a starburst [Schafer and Vater maker’s mark]
    underside, lower left corner, pressed: 8982
    Contributor
    Compiler: Peter Ehrenthal
    Manufacturer: Schafer and Vater Porcelain Factory
    Biography
    The Katz Ehrenthal Collection is a collection of more than 900 objects depicting Jews and antisemitic and anti-Jewish propaganda from the medieval to the modern era, in Europe, Russia, and the United States. The collection was amassed by Peter Ehrenthal, a Romanian Holocaust survivor, to document the pervasive history of anti-Jewish hatred in Western art, politics and popular culture. It includes crude folk art as well as pieces created by Europe's finest craftsmen, prints and periodical illustrations, posters, paintings, decorative art, and toys and everyday household items decorated with depictions of stereotypical Jewish figures.

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Classification
    Decorative Arts
    Category
    Ceramics
    Genre/Form
    Containers.
    Physical Description
    Small, hollow, painted, ceramic change holder shaped as a squat, old, Jewish man with long, gray side curls and a long beard on each jaw, but not along the chin. He is dressed in a floor-length, buttoned coat and a black skullcap. His face is stylized with a large, red, u-shaped line for a mouth, and white circles rimming his rounded, protruding, gold-colored eyes and nose, which resemble coins. His very large hands reach outward from his shoulders, as though raised to that height. He stands on top of the wedge-shaped change receptacle with the shallow, rectangular, brown well where the money in placed at his feet. A short, one-line slogan, is etched and painted black in the well of the dish. On the back, the lines of the coat are lightly etched along the shoulders, and there are two small, round buttons etched above a triangular opening on the figure’s mid-back. The underside is un-glazed and a four-digit number is pressed in the lower left corner and a partially visible maker’s mark is in the right corner. There is a small sticker adhered to the lower back point of the tray.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Width: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm) | Depth: 2.750 inches (6.985 cm)
    Materials
    overall : ceramic, paint
    Inscription
    back, bottom, white sticker, handwritten, black ink : ALS / 1/86

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    No restrictions on access
    Conditions on Use
    No restrictions on use

    Keywords & Subjects

    Geographic Name
    Germany.

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The figure was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
    Funding Note
    The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
    Special Collection
    Katz Ehrenthal Collection
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:11:16
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn537057

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