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Porcelain figurine of a rosy cheeked Fagin

Object | Accession Number: 2016.184.80

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    Porcelain figurine of a rosy cheeked Fagin

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Small, ceramic figurine of Fagin, a character from Charles Dickens’ novel, “Oliver Twist.” Fagin is portrayed with a long beard, a large nose, thick eyebrows, and hooded eyes; all stereotypical physical features attributed to Jewish men. In “Oliver Twist,” Fagin is the villainous leader of a gang of children whom he has instructed in the ways of criminality. He attempts to corrupt the protagonist, Oliver, in the same manner. In the novel, Fagin is described in his first scene as hunched over a fire holding a toasting fork, imagery that reinforces the antisemitic stereotype of Jewish associations with the devil, due to its resemblance of a pitchfork. He is repeatedly referred to as “the Jew” in the book and also emphasized as a greedy, miserly, and cowardly character; all traits aligning with common antisemitic stereotypes. However, in a later edition of the novel, Dickens reduced his use of “the Jew,” substituting it for pronouns or other phrases. Even in this later version, Fagin is still repeatedly and negatively referred to as “the Jew,” and remains emblematic of multiple antisemitic canards. Later writings by Dickens portrayed Jews in a more positive light, however, the reprehensible Fagin is his most remembered Jewish character. This figurine is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
    Date
    undated: 
    Geography
    manufacture: Germany
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
    Markings
    front, base, impressed : FAGIN
    back, base, impressed : L 406 / Germany
    bottom, base, stamped, black ink : G WHILA
    Contributor
    Compiler: Peter Ehrenthal
    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
    Figurines.
    Physical Description
    Small, ceramic figurine shaped as a man with painted details. He wears a black skullcap and a long gray coat with red pants. A red handkerchief with white polka-dots hangs out of his left coat pocket. His features include: a large nose, gray beard and hair, light red cheeks, and bright red lips. He is standing with his right arm raised to shoulder height, with the palm of his open hand facing outward. His left hand is stroking his long beard. The figurine is on a small, square base with white sides, a gold-colored line painted around the sides, and his name impressed on the front. The top of the base is painted yellowish-green, and behind the man’s legs, it rises up and extends to the bottom of his coat. The country of origin and an uppercase letter and three-digit number are impressed on the back of the base. On the bottom, a round hole reveals the hollow interior of the figurine. Above the hole, there is stamped text with a shallow, upwardly curved line below. Flecks and traces of paint and the yellowed remains of a sticker are on the bottom of the base. The first and second fingers of his right hand are broken at the tips.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm)
    Materials
    overall : porcelain, glaze, paint, ink, adhesive

    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 figurine 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 07:11:15
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn537249

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