Platter with a bust of Casimir the Just

In 1881 the Factory of  Artistic Faience and Stoves was established in Nieborów; its products were inspired by Italian, French and Dutch ones. A violent polemic about the value of Nieborów's dishes broke out in the magazines of that time. The new type of decorative ceramics on the Polish market was appreciated, but at the same time the imitation of western European production was condemned. The slogans “organic work” and “work from scratch” stimulated the search for a renewed form of handicraft, the Polish version of applied art. A particularly important impulse was the press criticism of Bolesław Prus. Under its influence, the factory created a series of decorations with patriotic themes, drawing inspiration from Polish history. Among Nieborów's designs there were images of Polish rulers.

The plate with the bust of Casimir II the Just belongs to this group of representations. It is not a coincidence that the Nieborów workshop created the image of this medieval prince, regarded as one of the most eminent Piast rulers during the period of the Partitions of Poland. In the Images of Polish Princes and Kings by Józef I. Kraszewski we read: “[Casimir II the Just] is a nice and beautiful figure, who was later resembled by Casimir the Great, by his facial and external features, as well as by his temperament”.

The chronicle of master Wincenty Kadłubek was a source of knowledge about the history of medieval Poland for 19th century authors. He was a chaplain of Casimir the Just and according to his wish he described the past and contemporary history of Poland. Master Wincenty also vividly depicted the reign of his protector. According to his account he was a wise and effective monarch, and it was this historian who called the prince “Just”. At the same time he mentioned his weakness for women and feasts. This probably contributed to the sudden death of the monarch, which Kadłubek described under the date of May 5, 1194: “[...] on the next day the prince held a splendid feast for the princes, magnates and first in the kingdom [...]. When everyone was rejoicing - the prince, the greatest star of the homeland, when asking the bishops about the salvation of his soul, having drunk a small cup - fell to the ground and died. We do not know whether he died of illness or poison”.

Magdalena Norkowska