Platter

During the war, many people were hiding at the Orzeszkos’ place. They were members of the resistance movement and Jews, including Mrs. Professor Handelsman (wife of Marceli Handelsman; https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/biogramy/5890-handelsman-marceli, in Polish only) and Leopold Gluck, who was to become the director of the National Bank of Poland after the war (1950). The guests sheltered by Janina Orzeszko were often unaware of the danger outside her home or of the risk to which they were exposing Janina’s family. They often strolled in the park at Żeromskiego St. As Janina’s daughter remembers, one day Janina was visited by one of her patients, then a “blue police” officer (https://sztetl.org.pl/en/glossary/granatowa-policja), and he warned her saying: “I know you are hiding these Jewish women. Just tell them not to walk on Żeromskiego Street. “From that time on, people hiding in the Orzeszkos’ house could only go out to the garden that belonged to the apartment. The Orzeszkos also hosted a secret university; its lecturers included Prof. Tadeusz Kotarbiński.

The third 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 (left) is sitting on the grass with her left arm slightly raised; she is wearing a light-yellow skirt, a blue dress, and a white blouse. The man is sitting on her right side, slightly bending towards his partner; leaning on his right arm, he presses his left hand to his chest. He is wearing light-blue pants with a yellow vest, a pale-pink tailcoat, 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