Allach porcelain figurine collected postwar by a Jewish member of the French resistance
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 9.375 inches (23.813 cm) | Width: 5.250 inches (13.335 cm) | Depth: 5.750 inches (14.605 cm)
Creator(s)
- David Farin (Compiler)
- Richard Förster (Designer)
- Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach-München (Manufacturer)
Archival History
The figurine was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2020 by Susana Farin Nepomechie, the daughter of David Farin, on behalf of the David and Esther Farin Estate.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum collection, gift of the David and Esther Farin Estate
Scope and Content
Porcelain figure of “Burgunder” (Burgundy), manufactured by slave labor at Dachau concentration camp, and collected after the war by David Farin, a Jewish member of the French resistance. The Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach (PMA) was founded in 1935 in the Munich suburb of Allach. It produced decorative porcelain pieces with the goal of developing a new echelon of German artistic taste. The factory quickly became a pet-project of SS Reichsführer (Reich leader) Heinrich Himmler, who eventually took control of 45 percent of the output and often gifted figures to various SS officials and friends. In 1937, the primary PMA factory moved to the SS Training and Education Camp, adjacent to Dachau. Beginning in 1940, Jewish prisoners from the camp were forced to work in the factory. Allach factories produced several themed series of figurines. A series of Morris dancers (Moriskentänzer) figurines was produced exclusively for the city of Munich to use as official gifts. They were copied from a series of sculptures commissioned by Munich city authorities and created by Erasmus Grasser in 1480. After production began on the Morris dancer figurines, consumer demand led to the creation of a series of jugglers inspired by the dancers that was available for purchase by the public in 1942. The Allach factory at Dachau continued to run until late April 1945. On April 29, U.S. forces liberated over 32,000 people at Dachau.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Glazed, white porcelain figurine of a man in a tall, domed cap, his body is twisted almost sideways and his arms raised as though mid-motion. His stands in a slightly hunched stance with his weight back on his left leg and his right leg forward, the foot turned outward. His left arm is lifted to shoulder height, with the bent elbow up, his forearm downward, and his fingers slightly curled over the palm. His right arm is hanging down, the forearm angled backward and his palm his turned downward behind him, the fingers slightly curled. His face is smooth and he has a focused gaze, prominent nose, and a narrow chin. His tall, domed hat has a leafy insignia on the front and a column of raised buttons on the left side. The ends of long, straight hair are just visible beneath the rim of his hat. The ends of two long, narrow lengths of cloth are fixed to his left upper chest. These extend over his shoulder, where they split into two ends trailing down his back to his knees. He wears a long-sleeved, thigh-length tunic with a high, stand collar, belted waist, and a straight hem. The full-height placket is decorated with scrollwork along both sides of low, raised, circular buttons. The sleeves are very full at the shoulders with many loose folds molded into the surfaces of the sleeves. His leggings are fitted, support bells around his upper right calf, and tuck into ankle-high shoes with elongated, narrow toes with pointed tips. He stands on a low, irregular, oval-shaped base, which has a maker’s mark and fraktur-style font stamped into the hollow underside. There are several small, circular, dark stains and discoloration on the base and the figure’s back.
People
- Himmler, Heinrich, 1900-1945.
Corporate Bodies
- Dachau (Concentration camp)
- Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach-München
Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany.
- World War, 1939-1945--Europe--End.
- Porcelain, German--20th century.
- Forced labor--Germany.
- Dachau (Germany)
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation.
- Slave labor--Germany.
Genre
- Figurines.
- Decorative Arts
- Object