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The pitcher was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
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.
Toby jug depicting a man holding a collection box, made in England during the 19th century. Toby jugs were first made in the mid-18th century and are ceramic pitchers usually modeled on full-bodied representations of popular characters. The man has a large nose, fat rosy cheeks, and thick, dark eyebrows; all stereotypical physical features commonly attributed to Jewish men. The phrase “I PAY OUT” may be a reference to the stereotype of the greedy Jew. This stereotype dates back to the Middle Ages, when economic and professional restrictions were placed on early European Jews. These restrictions limited many Jews to the occupations of retail peddling, hawking, and moneylending. Additionally, medieval religious belief held that charging interest (known as usury) was sinful, and the Jews who occupied these professions were looked down upon, predominantly by European Christians. They were perceived as morally deficient and willing to engage in unethical business practices. The inability of Jews to legally hold other occupations, combined with Christians’ disdain for the professions Jews were allowed to practice, helped form the canard of the greedy Jew who exploited Gentiles. The word “Ikey” (sometimes spelled Iky, or phrased as “Ikey Mo”) is a derogatory British term for a Jewish person. The word is an abbreviated version of the Jewish name Isaac (and Mo is an abbreviation of Moses). The term may have originated with the Ally Sloper cartoon series that began running in the British satirical magazine, “Judy,” in August 1867. However, it could have also originated as a reference to the nickname of a well-known Jewish convict, Isaac 'Ikey' Solomon or Solomons, in Britain and Australia during the first half of the 19th century. This toby jug is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
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overall: Height: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm) | Width: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm) | Depth: 7.500 inches (19.05 cm)
Colorful painted and glazed ceramic jug shaped as a short, stout man. He is portrayed with a pale white face, thick, dark eyebrows, fat cheeks, fleshy lips highlighted by a red line, and a large, hooked nose. He wears a blue top hat, yellow jacket with a thick collar and cuffs, a black neckerchief with brown button, black shoes, and orange pants. He holds a labeled, yellow collection box in front of him, with the strap around his neck. A small, gold-colored ring is painted on the middle finger of his left hand. A white, D-shaped handle is attached to his upper and lower back, and the top of the hat is open and sloped at the front to serve as a spout. He stands on a labeled, square-shaped, orange platform. The labels are in English, and filled with black paint. Overall, the paint has been applied messily, and traces of color appear unintentionally on transitional areas between colored sections. The paint on the figure’s shoes and hat is wearing off. There are small black stains on the exterior, and the interior is dirty and discolored.
Ceramic jug shaped as a comical Jewish man with a collection box