Назва музея Адрас месца, дата
To Whom It May Concern
Not so long ago while visiting the museum, I paid attention to Slutsk belts, the items of the world-known decorative and applied art from Belarus. I was extremely disappointed that the museum shields attribute them as “the pieces of Polish art”. It is not true.
I am Belarusian and know that Slutsk belts in the form they are known all over the world come from Belarus.
Slutsk belts — silk, woven belts with metal (silver, golden) threads, popular in the second half of the 18th century. It is an element of the traditional noble costume, which was formed under the influence of so-called "Sarmatism" — the ideology of orientalism prevailed in the higher society of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the end of the 16th to the 19th centuries. The belts of this type were originally called "Persian", and the workshops for their production — were called "persiarnias". On the territory of modern Belarus, they were produced at the famous manufactory in Slutsk, they were also created in Niasvizh, Zhmigurdy, Karelichy, Haradnitsa, and Lasosna (near Hrodna).
The belts produced in Slutsk strongly influenced the style of production of similar clothing items in other cities of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and — more widely — in Europe. This gave reason to use the term "Slutsk belts" for the common name of belts of this type, regardless of the actual place of their production.
"Persiarnia" in Slutsk, Belarus, was founded in the 1730s-1740s. A famous craftsman, originally from Istanbul, Jan Madżarski (Madjarski) worked here. He had previously worked in Ukraine and was invited to Belarus by Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł. Production of Slutsk belts reached its peak at this time. Jan Madżarski came to Belarus with several other craftsmen. At the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, the Slutsk manufactory was rented by Jan Madżarski’s son, Leon. He employed 60 weavers, most of whom were of Belarusian ethnic origin.
In the period 1760-1778, the formation of the "Slutsk belt" type was completed. As a result, the width of the belt decreased to 20-40 cm, and the length — to 260-450 cm. Slutsk belts acquired full compositional sophistication. At this time the motifs of local, Belarusian, flora completely replaced Persian ornamentation.
But in connection with the decrease in demand for Slutsk belts, caused by the ban of the Russian authorities on the wearing of traditional costumes, in 1807 Leon Madżarski terminated the lease of the manufactory. The same year, the Radziwiłłs appointed a Belarusian, a former clerk and formerly a weaver, Tomash Barsuk, as the head of the manufactory. The former "persiarnia" reduced the belts' production and expanded the production of brocade patterned and golden fabrics, mainly for the needs of the church.
An extremely beautiful, symbolic, and expensive item of men's wardrobe in the 18th century became a unique part of the church tradition in Belarus. Fragments of expensive belts were used to make liturgical clothing, cult accessories, frames for icons, and decorations for altars. Many religious artifacts of such a kind are stored in churches of Belarus till now.
In 1835, local weavers Juzef and Philip Dubitski rented the Slutsk "persiarnia". In 1848, the manufactory stopped its activity.
Slutsk belts, as a rule, had the following marks: "Sluck", "Sluciae", "IAANES MADZARSKI", "JOANES MADZARSKI" (by Jan Madżarski), "Sluciae fecit", "Mefecit Sluciae", "Mefecit Slutiae" ("I was made by Slutsk").
The demand for Slutsk belts was so great that it caused the appearance of many "persiarnias'' in different parts of Belarus and on the territory of Poland. The manufactories in Kabylki, Lipków, Krakow, and Gdańsk gained fame. These enterprises were under the strong influence of the Slutsk manufactory, and the belts made in these Polish manufacturies were called "Slutsk belts” as well. They used ready-made samples, Eastern and Slutsk, sometimes making some changes to them. The production of Slutsk belts was also carried out by French enterprises, the most famous of them was the factory in Lyon, owned by Pierre Toussaint Deschazel.
Today, ancient Slutsk belts are a rarity: individual copies and fragments are preserved in Belarus, and most of the items of national applied art are in museums and private collections around the world. We can say for sure that the famous Slutsk belts are one of the national symbols of Belarus, a wonderful example of decorative and applied art, which became not only a historical cultural value but also an image in Belarusian literature and art, an essential part of the Belarusian national identity.
I hope that Slutsk belts (ones having Belarusian origin) in the museum and many other museums globally will be identified properly as pieces of art from Belarus.
I will be glad to receive an answer to my proposal.
Sincerely yours, імя,
прозвішча