Colorful terracotta figure group of 4 Jewish men, a boy, and a goat
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 6.750 inches (17.145 cm) | Width: 8.375 inches (21.273 cm) | Depth: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm)
Creator(s)
- Anton Sohn (Artisan)
- Peter Ehrenthal (Compiler)
Biographical History
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.
Archival History
The figure group was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of 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.
Scope and Content
Colorful terracotta figure group, Kinder Israel, modelled by Anton Sohn in early 19th century Germany. It is a caricatured depiction of Jewish stereotypes, including the livestock dealer, the scholar/student, and the peddler. Sohn (1769-1841), trained as a church painter, established a workshop in Zizenhausen, Germany, that was celebrated for its exceptionally detailed and elaborate terracotta figurines. His subject matter ranged widely and included genre and satirical groups on popular, topical themes, and religious figurines which were favorites for Christmas displays in homes, as well as businesses. This figure group is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Molded, polychrome, painted terracotta figure group of 5 people standing in a row. On the left is a gray haired man with a short beard and large nose, wearing a tricorn hat and patterned vest, and picking his nose with his left thumb and index finger. His staff hangs from that arm, and on his right arm is the rope for the brown and white goat, with udders and long metal horns, at his knee. Watching him is a young, cross-eyed man with red hair, jutting chin, top hat, and cape, carrying a stack of books. Next, looking at the first 2, is a small boy holding close to the arm of a man with brown curly hair. Their backs are to the viewer and both wear long orange coats and brown top hats. Finally, on the right , in left profile, is a man is well worn traveling clothes and slouch boots. He has a large, protruding nose, smokes a pipe and has a white cloth wrapped around his head and neck. He has a large sack slung over his left shoulder, and carries a long blue coat, a gold sword, and a walking stick. The figures stand on a green oval base with a top textured to look like grass and a paper label on the front. The figures are extremely detailed and the primary colors are muted browns, oranges, and greens. It is an open, flatback sculpture, painted white on the back. See 2016.184.594 for another version of this work.
front, on paper label, black ink : [Hebrew text] Kinder Israel. [Children of Israel.]
People
- Sohn, Anton, 1769-1841.
Subjects
- Jews--Germany--Art.
- Jewish peddlers--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Jewish scholars--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Stereotypes (Social psychology) in art.
- Jews--Folk art.
- Jews in art--19th century.
- Jews--Caricatures and cartoons--19th century.
Genre
- Decorative Arts
- Object