Small circular dish with a relief of two Jewish men fighting
Extent and Medium
overall: | Depth: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Diameter: 4.625 inches (11.748 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 cast metal dish 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
Small plate with a relief image of two Jewish men fighting, called Kampfende Hirsche [Fighting Bucks.] This image is based upon a painting by an unknown artist; see 2016.184.634 for a reproduction. The image is a parody of an extremely popular genre of nature paintings, many also titled Fighting Stags, which presented romanticized visions of magnificent antlered stags fighting in a clearing. There was also a popular photograph published by Oscar Kramer (1835-1892), of Vienna, titled, Kampfende Hirsche, Zwei polnische Juden in e. Balgerei [Fighting Stags: Two Polish Jews in a Tussle], which may have been known by the artist. The Jewish men are viewed as subjects of ridicule for their repellant physical appearance, their ineptness as fighters, and their undignified public behavior. Antisemitism was an increasingly popular topic in Austria at the time. This dish is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic visual materials.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Circular, bronze colored, cast metal dish with a bas relief of 2 Orthodox Jewish men, bald with curly sidelocks, grappling with each other. The man on the left has grabbed his opponent's large nose and his lapel. He is being pulled forward by his opponent who holds a sidelock and claws at his head. They have bushy eyebrows and thick lips. Both wear long overcoats and heeled boots, and their worn top hats have fallen off and are suspended midair. Their legs are splayed as both struggle to keep their balance. Near the right hat are the heads of spectators: 2 in left profile with hooked noses and fleshy lips, the other facing forward with a large nose and ears. An open upside down umbrella rests on the ground on the right. The title is engraved in a banner along the bottom. The dish has a shallow, stippled well, with slightly curved sides, and a ridged rim. The back shows the mold impression and has 3 wedged feet. See 2016.184.634 for a painting of the image.
back, black marker : 120
Subjects
- Jews in art.
- Stereotypes (Social psychology) in art.
- Antisemitism in art.
- Antisemitism--Art--19th century.
- Jews--Caricatures and cartoons.
- Jews--Austria--Pictorial works.
- Antisemitism--Austria--Art.
Genre
- Object
- Decorative Arts