Auction 55 · Lot 406
AMERICAN ANTI-SEMITIC GLAZED CERAMIC TILE.
- Estimate
- $1,200–$1,800
- Hammer price
- $1,300
Historical auction record. Hammer prices exclude buyer’s premium and taxes.
Publication
circa 1881
Description
Designed by Arthur Osborne. Depicts a religious Jew clutching a money-bag. Marian maxim on the upper corner of the tile reads: “NVNQVAM SATIS.” On reverse, tile is well marked with the usual signature markings including: “The.
J & JG Low Patent Art Tile Works, Chelsea Mass. (est. 1878).” 6 x 6 inches.
summary
The tile uses the Christian expression of praise “Never Enough” in the context here, of degrading the money-hungry Jew.
See William Benton Museum of Art Exhibition Catalogue (1979): American Decorative Tiles 1870-1930, p. 31, no. 87.