Objects

The two-handled mug made of glazed clay was used for ritual hand washing. It was made by Paweł Witek (1901–1979) in 1954, one of the potters from Urzędów-Bęczyn. The mug was handmade using a potter's wheel and then fired to give it brick red colour. The outside is mostly covered with green lead glaze, typical for official pottery. In addition to the glaze, which was of practical value, the mug is decorated with two stripes of engraved ornament running around it at the height of the handle. The interior is also glazed. There is a signature on the bottom with a handwritten inscription carved in wet clay: "Witek/ Paweł/ Urzędów/ 1954". It might be a reproduction of Witek's earlier works for Jewish clients.

The item was purchased for the collection of the Lublin Open Air Village Museum from Jan Stelmaszczyk (1909–1972) in 1972, a collector and social activist from Kolonia Wyżnianka (Kraśnica county), who wanted to establish a folk art museum in his house.