Platter

The Orzeszko family also remembers the story of a two-year-old child hidden in a wall in Tadeusz’s hospital ward. At that time, the child’s father was also staying there. The child was hidden in a wall niche, which was bricked up as much that it could serve as a hiding place, leaving an opening large enough to serve food. To the knowledge of the donor of the set, the child survived the Shoah.

The sixth 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, leaning on her right hand, and holding the other one (bent) at the level of her chest. The man is stretched out in a reclining position on his left side. He is leaning on his left forearm, with his right hand touching his lover. The woman is wearing a pale-pink dress, a white skirt, a white blouse; on her lap, there is a straw hat. The man is dressed in light-purple pants, an orange tailcoat, a white shirt, 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