Advanced Search

Learn About The Holocaust

Special Collections

My Saved Research

Login

Register

Help

Skip to main content

Capodimonte figurine of a Jewish gentleman

Object | Accession Number: 2016.184.123

Search this record's additional resources, such as finding aids, documents, or transcripts.

No results match this search term.
Check spelling and try again.

results are loading

0 results found for “keyward

    Capodimonte figurine of a Jewish gentleman

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Porcelain figurine of a young, Jewish man, manufactured by the Royal Factory of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy, likely during the late 18th or early 19th century. The figurine’s pose and dress bear a resemblance to depictions of the commedia dell'arte character, Pantalone. Commedia dell’arte is a theatrical form that emerged in northern Italy in the 15th century. The actors wore masks on stage as a homage to ancient Roman comedies. Pantalone’s mask usually had a large, hooked nose; a stereotypically Jewish feature. The figurine further embellishes the stereotype by featuring Pantalone with red hair and wearing a kippah, a traditional Jewish cap. Pantalone was usually a greedy old merchant, who would often romantically pursue, and be rejected by younger women. Commedia dell’arte was popular throughout Europe, and figurines of the characters were popular molds for porcelain makers. The Royal Factory of Capodimonte began manufacturing porcelain during the mid-18th century. However, Capodimonte now refers to porcelain designs that have emotive, Italian styling typical of those earlier pieces. In 1743, Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily, commissioned the construction of a porcelain factory in the Royal Wood of Capodimonte. In 1759, when Charles ascended to the Spanish throne, he brought the molds, models, and artists with him to Spain and demolished the factory in Italy. Afterwards, Charles’ son, Ferdinand, inherited his father’s title in Italy, as well as his interest in porcelain. He began construction of a new facility in 1771, and production continued throughout the tumultuous Napoleonic Wars. During the first decades of the 1800s, Ginori Porcelain Manufactory purchased the Royal Capodimonte factory molds and equipment, and began manufacturing Capodimonte styled porcelain. This figurine is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
    Date
    manufacture:  1771-approximately 1817
    Geography
    manufacture: Royal Factory of Capodimonte; Naples (Italy)
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
    Markings
    base, underside, blue glaze : 5 point crown above N [Capodimonte maker's mark]
    base, underside, impressed : 3884
    Contributor
    Compiler: Peter Ehrenthal
    Manufacturer: Royal Factory of Capodimonte
    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

    Classification
    Decorative Arts
    Category
    Ceramics
    Genre/Form
    Figurines.
    Physical Description
    White porcelain figurine with hand painted details of a richly dressed young gentleman bowing with his hands on his hips beneath his long, open red cossack. His head remains erect and his back straight, while his right knee bends forward and his left turns outward. He has red/brown curly hair and a long, pointed beard, small dark eyes, an aquiline nose, and red pursed lips. He wears a black kippah, a white collared shirt with gilded buttons, black breeches and shoes with white stockings, and a green belt with a dagger sheath, now with broken ends. The coat has a yellow lining and the tail gathers near his heels. He stands upon a circular white pedestal with green grass and multicolored flowers.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 4.875 inches (12.383 cm) | Width: 2.875 inches (7.302 cm) | Depth: 3.375 inches (8.573 cm)
    Materials
    overall : soft paste porcelain, ceramic glaze, paint
    Inscription
    with

    Rights & Restrictions

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

    Keywords & Subjects

    Geographic Name
    Naples (Italy)

    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 07:11:14
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn537378

    Download & Licensing

    In-Person Research

    Contact Us