Franklin Porcelain miniature Fagin Character jug

Identifier
irn545551
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2016.184.263
Dates
1 Jan 1983 - 31 Dec 1983
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm) | Width: 1.875 inches (4.763 cm) | Depth: 1.625 inches (4.128 cm)

Creator(s)

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 miniature pitcher 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

Miniature character jug depicting Fagin, designed by Peter Jackson for Franklin Porcelain in London, England, and made in 1983. Character jugs are ceramic pitchers usually modeled on the head and shoulders of popular characters. They are similar to Toby jugs, which are pitchers modeled on full-bodied representations of popular characters. On the jug, Fagin is portrayed with a beard a large nose, thick eyebrows, and hooded eyes; all stereotypical physical features attributed to Jewish men. In “Oliver Twist,” Fagin is the villainous leader of a gang of children whom he has instructed in the ways of criminality. He attempts to corrupt the protagonist, Oliver, in the same manner. In the novel, Fagin is described in his first scene as hunched over a fire holding a toasting fork, imagery that reinforces the antisemitic stereotype of Jewish associations with the devil, due to the toasting fork’s resemblance of a pitchfork. He is repeatedly referred to as “the Jew” in the book and also emphasized as a greedy, miserly, and cowardly character; all traits aligning with common antisemitic stereotypes. However, in a later edition of the novel, Dickens reduced his use of “the Jew,” substituting it for pronouns or other phrases. Even in this later version, Fagin is still repeatedly and negatively referred to as “the Jew,” and remains emblematic of multiple antisemitic canards. Later writings by Dickens portrayed Jews in a more positive light, however, the reprehensible Fagin is his most remembered Jewish character. The miniature jug 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

Miniature porcelain pitcher modeled as the head and shoulders of Fagin. He has red-brown hair with a long, matching beard, a large nose, and thick eyebrows. He is wearing a gray, brimmed hat and a green collar covers his neck. The top of the hat has an opening for pouring, and a narrow, black, C-shaped handle is attached to the right side of his head. The underside is stamped with several lines of English text in black ink, which identify the figure as “Fagin,” and also bear the manufacturer’s information.

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.