Cork bottle stopper with a porcelain finial depicting a Jewish stereotype

Porcelain bottle stopper in the shape of a small bust depicting a Jewish man’s head, made in the Alsace region of central Europe during the 19th century. The man is wearing a skullcap and has a large nose, fleshy red lips, hooded eyes, and a black pointed beard; all stereotypical physical features commonly attributed to Jewish men. Jews have historically been persecuted and demonized. They have been associated with and called “children of the devil,” accused of deicide, treacherous conspiracies, and treasonous acts by influential figures and archaic Christian beliefs. These defamations are often visually depicted through antisemitic or malevolent features and characteristics, such as horns and cloven feet. They may also be depicted with distorted facial features, including bulging eyes and large or hooked noses. The Alsace region has a long history of crafting fine pottery that dates back to the Bronze Age. Many of the small villages in the region still have workshops that specialize in traditional techniques of decorating and creating pottery. This bottle stopper is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.