Handthrown ceramic vase with relief design of birds used by a German Jewish refugee family
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 8.250 inches (20.955 cm) | Width: 7.000 inches (17.78 cm)
Creator(s)
- Edith Rosenthal (Subject)
Biographical History
Edith Simon (1923-2009) was born on February 26, 1923, in Leipzig, Germany, to William and Margaret (Grete) Maerker Simon. Grete’s parents were Louis and Hedwig Weil Maerker. Edith had two sisters, Lotte, born in 1925, and Gerda, born in 1921. Grete and Willy married in Bernburg and settled in Leipzig where Willy operated a prosperous real estate and mortgage business. His business did well even during the difficult economic conditions of the 1920s. But after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 with the growing persecution of Jews and boycotts of their businesses, her father's business began to fail. The family left Germany for the United States in 1937 and settled in Philadelphia. She married Harry Rosenthal and they had two children. Many family members were deported to Theresienstadt and other concentration camps where they were killed.
Archival History
The vase was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Mark, Ellen, and Erin Rosenthal, the son, the daughter-in-law, and granddaughter of Edith Simon Rosenthal.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ellen, Erin, and Mark Rosenthal
Scope and Content
Vase brought in a steamer trunk by 13 year old Edith Simon when she, her parents, Willy and Greta, and her sisters, Lotte and Gerda, emigrated from Leipzig, Germany, to the United States in 1937. The vase was a family heirloom, orignally owned by Hedwig Maerker, Edith's grandmother, who was killed in Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1942.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Hand thrown, bulbous shaped, ceramic vase with a round base and a wide body that tapers to the flared lip opening. It is glazed in brown and gold, with a high relief design of birds, branches with leaves, acorns, and a fox. The lip and base are textured with smooth edges. There are 4 green felt feet on the base.
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Refugees--United States.
- United States--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- Jewish refugees--United States.
- Germany--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
Genre
- Decorative Arts
- Object