Double pot from the Opoczno area

This double pot was brought to Lower Silesia after the Second World War by settlers from the Opoczno area. It travelled with household belongings to a new home. In the exhibition, it represents objects connected with everyday work and food preparation. A potter made two matching clay pots by hand and joined them with clay strips about halfway up their sides. A shared handle set across the pair allowed both containers to be carried together in one hand.

Double pots of this kind remained in use until the early twentieth century. They carried meals to people harvesting crops or digging potatoes. The pots held foods such as soured milk, boiled potatoes and groats. Wrapping them in linen helped keep hot food warm. They were often covered with an elongated wooden lid shaped to fit around the handle, with another hole for a spoon handle. Owners usually made these lids themselves. Some had decorative edges, carved patterns, the owner’s initials or a date. A simple pottery vessel could therefore be completed with a personally made wooden part.