Platter

When Tadeusz Orzeszko was sent to Auschwitz, Janina was heavily pregnant. She had no news about her husband for a long time, only knowing he had been sent to Auschwitz. She decided to go to the camp to find out if her husband was alive. She took two packages with her: one with tobacco and one with vodka. In Krakow, she applied for a permit to enter the camp and received it; once in the camp, she managed to see an administrative worker (perhaps a warden). He informed her that her husband was alive and told her to leave the parcels for him. Tadeusz never received any tobacco or vodka. However, he was given a photo of the children hidden in the package; after liberation, he returned home with the photo. Danuta Orzeszko-Bałuk wonders why the Germans gave the Auschwitz prisoner a family photo brought by his wife. Perhaps the German officer was impressed by the courage of a heavily pregnant woman who was not afraid to come to a concentration camp to ask about her husband’s life.

The seventh of the seven platters that Janina Orzeszko received as a token of gratitude for safekeeping the property of the Jewish Rubinek family during the occupation. The platter is shallow, oval-shaped, made of porcelain. The foot of the platter is distinct, its lip opens up slightly. The opposite edges of the vessel are slightly pointed, both have a handle in the form of an oblong opening at the pointed end.

The brown colour of the bottom gets brightened in the central part, where a representation of a loving couple is depicted. The woman is sitting on the grass, tucking the hem of her dress up to her knees with both hands. She is wearing a yellow dress and a white skirt, which pokes out from under the folded dress, reaching her ankles. Her face is turned towards her lover. The man is slightly leaning towards his partner, his right hand touching her shoulder. He is wearing light-purple pants, a white shirt, a dark-vermilion “wams” caftan, white stockings, and black shoes. The brown bottom with the genre scene is separated from the edge by a golden ornament, behind which there is a cobalt stripe, also decorated with a gold-coloured ornament. Next, a light yellow stripe is painted, decorated with a coloured floral ornament. The edges of the platter – including the handles – are painted gold.

MF