Tray c. 1930

This metal tray with vanity objects was made by Emmy Roth, a Jewish artist working in Germany in the 1920s and 30s. Roth was associated with the Bauhaus school, an institution that sought to revolutionize the relationship between art, design, and industry. Looking closely, we see an integration of form and function typical of the Bauhaus aesthetic. Roth’s tray speaks to a broader cultural moment in the Weimar Republic, when debates about modernism, mass production, and the role of art in everyday life were front and center. It also testifies to the shifting status of women in German society, as they pursued new opportunities for education and employment. Sadly, Roth’s career was cut short by the rise of Nazism. As a Jewish woman, she was persecuted by the regime and eventually murdered in a concentration camp. To fully understand Roth’s work, we can consult archival sources, exhibition catalogs, and historical studies of the Bauhaus. By situating art within its social and institutional context, we gain a deeper appreciation of its meaning and significance.