Origin of design and beginnings production of silver jewelry in the ORNO Folk and Artistic Industry Cooperative in Warsaw (1949–1954)

Abstract

The article presents the design and production of silver jewelry developed at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s, produced in the ORNO Folk and Artistic Industry Cooperative, operating in Warsaw in the years 1949–2003. The basis of the discussion is the so-called “The Great Book of ORNO” - a handwritten catalog of products, kept by the president of the cooperative, Romuald Rochacki, in the years 1949–54. The Book, which has not yet been the subject of analysis, contains drawings of approximately 280 works, enriched with information about the authors, the time of filing the design, production, artistic and technical assessments, etc. The analysis of the drawings and information about the cooperative entered into the Book allows us to indicate the genesis of the design ORNO – based on the idea of self-education and improvement of the creative skills of the cooperative members, as well as the knowledge about Polish art taught to them during lectures and sightseeing trips. ORNO silver jewelry is an important trend in Polish applied art design after 1945.