Painted metal figurine of a drunken Jewish man in a trough
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 2.500 inches (6.35 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)
b: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 1.000 inches (2.54 cm) | Depth: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm)
Creator(s)
- 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 figurine 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
Comical souvenir 2 part figurine of a young, red haired Orthodox Jewish man who has fallen into a watering trough, yet managed to hold his overflowing beer mug aloft. This figurine 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
a. Painted, cast iron figurine of a comically drunk, young, Orthodox Jewish man sprawled as though he fell into the trough (b). He sits, leaning back, right arm raised to hold up his oversize brown beer mug, with overflowing froth. His left arm is behind him, hand on the trough edge for support. His right leg is bent, barefoot heel on the trough edge to brace himself; the left leg, with black shod foot, hangs outside the trough. He has black painted eyes and red hair with thick eyebrows, long sidelocks, and a short beard. He has a large, bulbous nose and fleshy red lips parted in a wide grin. He wears a low, black wide brimmed hat and a black jacket and trousers. The paint is poorly applied and chipped. b. Painted cast iron, rectangular boxlike trough. The exterior is painted black with gold trim around the top and a small floral design on each side. The shallow interior is painted red and has angled sides. The paint is poorly applied and chipped.
Subjects
- Jews--Folk art.
- Jews--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Antisemitism--Folk art.
- Jews in art.
- Antisemitism in art.
Genre
- Object
- Decorative Arts