Mezzotint on paper adhered to a glass pane with an image of a gray haired, Jewish man holding a brimming bag of gold coins with both hands. He is seated at a table, cradling the bag possessively against his chest. His hooded eyes look down sadly at a small pile of coins on the table that does not fit in the bag. He has thick eyebrows, a hooked nose, fleshy lips, and a long, pointed beard. He is wearing a wide brimmed, flat, black hat and fur trimmed black velvet cape. The background is shaded brown. The title and several lines of English text are printed below the image. It is in a brown wooden frame.
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The print 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.
overall: Height: 16.500 inches (41.91 cm) | Width: 12.625 inches (32.068 cm) | Depth: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) pictorial area: Height: 14.000 inches (35.56 cm) | Width: 10.125 inches (25.718 cm)
English print of a Jewish moneylender cradling a sack of coins published in the mid-18th century by Carington Bowles. Many antisemitic depictions of Jews show them hoarding, counting, or handling money. These stereotypes originated from the economic and professional restrictions placed on early European Jews. They were barred from owning land, farming, joining trade guilds, and military service. These restrictions forced many Jews into occupations such as money changing or money lending. 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, greedy, and willing to engage in unethical business practices. Jews’ inability 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. This canard was often visually depicted as a Jewish man expressing an exaggerated desire for, or counting money. Carington Bowles (1724-1793) was a London-based print publisher. He and his father, John Bowles, operated John Bowles & Son in Cornhill, London, from approximately 1752 to 1764. Afterward, Carington took over his uncle’s print business at St Paul’s Churchyard, after his death. The print is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.
Print on glass of a Jewish money lender admiring his gold