L. ZAPOROWSKA, Plate with an eagle, "Kwiatogal" Artistic Crafts Work Cooperative?, 1989.

hand-painted porcelain; 4.5 x 22.5 cm
On the reverse: by hand: Hand painted Warsaw 1989. L. Zaporowska / stamp "39"
Cooperative of Arts and Crafts Work "Kwiatogal"?; 1989
The plate has no maker's markings, but the provenance may be indicated by the fact that Ms. Zaporowska was a painter at "Kwiatogal".

The "Kwiatogal" People's and Artistic Industry Cooperative, known primarily for its production of hand-painted porcelain, was established in Warsaw in 1950, with Jadwiga Kielczewska as its manager and Wanda Skowronow as its technical manager. Kielczewska, who gained experience in work related to art cooperatives in 1945-1950 as manager of the Wielkopolska Cooperative of Folk and Artistic Industries in Poznań, is also mentioned, along with Mieczysława Madurowicz and Maria Chojecka, as the initiator of the creation of the Cooperative.

However, at the time of the start of operations, that is on April 15, 1950, the core of Kwiatogal's production was not hand-decorated porcelain, but artificial flowers and artistic accessories (including dolls). At the time, the rather broad concept of "artistic accessories" certainly did not yet include decorated porcelain. The inventory of the assets of the newly established Cooperative and the data on the "machinery park" did not record the necessary furnaces for firing glazed paints for this type of work. The only property that Kwiatogal had at its disposal in 1950 were small tools for flower production2. None of the 25 founding members had any previous contact with ceramic production either. (Source: www.szklo-ceramika.pl)