Room
Franciszek Necel’s pottery
The family’s first Chmielno potter and his move from everyday vessels to decorative ceramics.
Content language
Franciszek Necel moved from Kościerzyna to Chmielno in 1897. He belonged to the seventh generation of potters in his family. After initially working for other craftsmen, he built a kiln and opened his own workshop in 1907. His pieces form part of the collection devoted to three generations of the Necel family. After the First World War, Teodora and Izydor Gulgowski encouraged him to expand his decorative production. He gradually reduced his output of plain everyday vessels while retaining shapes and motifs learned in his father’s workshop.
He made jugs, plates, bowls, candlesticks and holy-water stoups for domestic and religious use. Special commissions included large vases decorated with combinations of the seven family patterns. He stamped most of his work with his surname and references to Chmielno, Pomerania and Kashubian pottery. The stamp linked a vessel to its maker and place of production. In 1928 he built a brick house that also housed the workshop, providing premises for the next generation.
For children
Franciszek Necel was a potter: a craftsman who made vessels from clay. He moved from Kościerzyna to Chmielno in 1897. Six earlier generations of his family had practised the same craft. He opened his own workshop and kiln in 1907.
He made jugs, bowls, plates and candlesticks. Later, more of his work was also intended to decorate homes. He painted patterns learned from his father and stamped his vessels so that their maker and place of origin could be recognised. In 1928 he built a house with a workshop, where the next generation would work.
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