Slutsk belts

 3.04.2013 15:20

The President of Belarus instructed to restore the production of Slutsk belts.

Embroidered with golden threads...

Production of unique Slutsk belts is being revived in Belarus.

For Belarusians, the Slutsk belt is a symbol of cultural identity and state independence. Soon, on behalf of the President of Belarus, their production will be revived, which was started three centuries ago by the princes Radziwills and the Madzharsky craftsmen. One of the largest collections of authentic items men's suit XVIII-XIX centuries is kept in Moscow.

Made in Slutsk

The Slutsk belt was an exclusively noble accessory, an expensive thing - after all, it was embroidered with gold threads. The production of jewelry for the gentry costume was started by the Armenian craftsmen Madzharsky, invited by the princes Radziwill from Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) to Nesvizh, and then to Slutsk. Why did the Armenian specialists get down to business? In Western Ukraine, the positions of the Armenian diaspora were strong, which maintained ties with the countries of the East. And wealthy people in the 18th century wore clothes in which there were many oriental elements, including a belt. Belts were exported from Persia, Turkey, where many Armenians lived.

The masters invited by the Radziwills became intermediaries between the Eastern and Belarusian cultures. The Madzharskys taught Slutsk craftsmen at the "Persian" (a factory of "Persian" belts) to weave overseas patterns. But gradually these patterns were supplemented by local motifs. Over time, belts from Slutsk began to disperse throughout Europe, factories appeared where they “forged” not Persian, but Slutsk belts - in Poland, France, Russia. In the 19th century, wearing these accessories was forbidden: it was believed that by tying a belt, a person demonstrated his nostalgia for the times of freedom from the tsarist regime. In 1848, the "Persian" in Slutsk was closed. And the secrets of weaving were forgotten. After that, belts were collectibles, not worn. Now the cost of one such rarity can reach up to 50 thousand dollars.

Accessory in verse

How did a noble accessory become a Belarusian national symbol? Two factors contributed to this. Firstly, at the beginning of the 20th century, the outstanding poet Maxim Bogdanovich accidentally saw the belts in the collection of the Lutskeviches, famous figures in Vilna who collected Belarusian antiquities. The richness of colors and the legendary history of the creation of accessories inspired the songwriter to compose a textbook poem - "Slutsk weavers". Since the beginning of the 20th century, Slutsk belts have been shown at art exhibitions more than once, their motifs began to be used in the design of books, arts and crafts. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, people learned about belts in Moscow - at exhibitions of the achievements of the Belarusian national economy, motifs of ancient fabrics were used to decorate expositions.

So, an element of noble clothing, created by the hands of Belarusian weavers, "returned" to the people - it became one of its symbols.

Secret technologies

Almost 300 years after the start of the production of Slutsk belts, the President of Belarus initiated the revival of the industry - on an industrial basis. Recently, a meeting of the organizational group for the reconstruction of the technology for the production of Slutsk belts took place. The meeting was attended by historians, art historians, technologists, designers, practical weavers, representatives of the country's light industry enterprises.

“The technology of weaving Slutsk belts has been lost,” said Alexander Lokotko, director of the Institute of Art History, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. - The secrets of the weavers' craftsmanship require scrupulous study. First you need to explore the artistic features of the belts, create a consolidated catalog of these items that are in Belarusian and foreign collections.

Experts now do not vouch to name how many Slutsk belts and those made in their image and likeness have survived to this day. There are a little more than a dozen copies in different museums of Belarus. In the meantime, Belkhudozhpromysly, Slutsk Belts, and the Borisov Combine of Decorative and Applied Arts are ready to start manufacturing new accessories based on ancient patterns. Experts study the materials from which belts were made in the 18th century.

Bequeathed by the merchant Shchukin

To accurately restore the production technology, obviously, the help of experts from Moscow will be needed. The fact is that the State Historical Museum has one of the largest collections of Slutsk belts. As Tatiana Ivanova, head of the fabric and costume department, calculated, there were 80 whole pieces and 60 fragments. By agreement of the ministers of culture of the two countries, several belts from Moscow were exhibited at the National Art Museum of Belarus. How did these things get to Russia? The Moscow merchant Pyotr Shchukin had a passion for oriental things. Deliveries of valuable fabrics from the western provinces of the Russian Empire went to him since 1890. In 1912, Shchukin's collection was bequeathed to the Imperial (today the State) Historical Museum.

Master class of noble etiquette

When the "Moscow" belts left Minsk, they were replaced by rarities from Vilnius. Slutsk belts from the Lithuanian Art Museum will be exhibited at the National Art Museum of Belarus until June 17. On them you can read: "Grad Slutsk, Yan Madzharsky" - the city of manufacture and the name of the author.

Elena Karpenko, head of the department of ancient Belarusian art of the art museum, explained what variants of the Slutsk belts can be found in the expositions:

- Under Jan Madzharsky, about 7 plots were developed. Yan's son, Leon, improved his father's technologies. "Vilnius" belts are the work of father and son. The Latin inscription on the accessory indicates that the belt was made before Slutsk became part of Russia, and the Cyrillic inscription indicates that the item was made after 1793. The belts were one-sided and multi-sided - this made it possible to wear the same thing on holidays and in mourning, depending on the color scheme.

By the way, you can order a master class at the National Art Museum and they will show you how to wear the Slutsk belt correctly.

You can see the nobleman in the Slutsk belt in the portrait of Wojciech Puslovsky, which was also brought from the Lithuanian museum. The picture was painted by a Minsk resident, a friend of Mickiewicz and an acquaintance of Pushkin - Valenty Vankovich.

So the Slutsk belts unite the traditions of many peoples - from Poland to Russia, from France to Persia.

Text: Viktor Korbut ( [email protected])

"Slutsk weavers", Ensemble "Pesnyary"

"Slutsk weavers" (Maxim Bagdanovich)

Hell of relatives, hell of native huts
At the master's yard there is a beauty
Yana, byazdolny, knots
Weaving patched payas.

I tsyagam long hours,
Dzyavochya forgotten dreams,
Pile of wide fabrics
Yanas are weaved in the Persian way.

And behind the scyanoy the field swells,
Ziyae sky z-for acne, -
I thoughts mknuzza mimavoli
There, where spring blossomed;

Dze bіshcha zbozhzha ў clear distance,
Sweet blue cornflowers,
Praise be given to cold srebrs
Mіzh mountains flickering crayfish.

Tsamnee edge jagged boron ...
І tche, forgetful, hand,
Zamіzh persіdskogo pattern
Radzima flower cornflower.

Hello our dear readers!

We hasten to congratulate you on the first day of autumn, the beginning of a new school year!

We invite you to start the new season with us. The first Belarusian BW and the author of The Оlgas project are pleased to present you a new project - "Be inspired by Belarus"!
The essence of the project is to be inspired by one of the proposed topics to do any work, fulfilling the conditions proposed at each stage. And we start with the theme " Slutsk belts".

Job conditions:

1.You must use one of required elements to choose from: an image of a belt (or a real piece of it, suddenly it was lying around at your place), a fringe or a thread tassel. Scrap work can be anything - a page, a postcard, a frame, etc.
2. Write a few words about why you were inspired and chose it was this image of the Slutsk belt or they decided to use a fringe, a tassel.
3. A link to this post is required.
4. The work must be new, published after the release of the assignment.
5. Work can participate in other tasks, but no more than three, including this.
6. Deadline for acceptance of works from 1-09 to 23-09-2012 inclusive.

What is the Slutsk belt?

A bit of history

At first, belts were brought to the lands of the Commonwealth from the East. In 1758 the first Persian manufactory was opened in Nesvizh. Later, Prince Mikhail Kazimir Radziwill Rybonka moved his manufactory from Nesvizh to Slutsk. Here, in fact, the history of the most famous belts not only in Belarus begins with this.
Initially, masters from the Ottoman Empire and Persia were invited. Therefore, the first belts were made with oriental patterns. The weaver's training lasted at least seven years. When local craftsmen mastered the process of making belts, they began to use local motifs in belt patterns - forget-me-nots, cornflowers, chamomile, maple leaves, oak.
Slutsk belts were also produced in Nesvizh, Warsaw, Krakow and other cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth. Their production was organized in Moscow and France.
The Slutsk manufactory existed until 1848. After the third partition of the Commonwealth and the uprising of 1831 in the territories that became part of the Russian Empire, it was forbidden to wear Slutsk belts, fashion trends are changing. Under the influence of these factors, the nature of production changes - the production of fabrics for church needs begins.
In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Slutsk belts became a collector's item. They are collected by museums and individuals. Belts began to be studied as products of artistic weaving.
Weaving technologies that were used in the production of Slutsk belts are now lost.

Little Known Facts

• The belt is exclusively male fun. Only men wove it, and it was impossible to cope with such work alone. The most skilled craftsman wove the head. They were also worn only by male aristocrats. And only men also helped to put them on. There was a belief that if a woman's hand touches the precious threads, the fabric will fade and the belt can be immediately thrown away. So Maxim Bogdanovich was greatly mistaken. (All Belarusian schoolchildren learned this poem by heart. A tedious lecture on oppression came with it as an obligatory package. ordinary people in those times).
• The price of one belt was approximately equal to the annual income of an officer in the army of the Commonwealth. The current price of the belt starts from three hundred thousand dollars.
• From 400 to 800 grams of gold went to one product.
• Most famous master Jan Madzharsky began to produce 4-facial belts (each of front sides had two independent drawings). Such a belt could be worn with four different clothes on various occasions - solemn, everyday or mournful. When participating in the holidays, the belt was tied outward with the golden, red part of the belt; in mourning, the black side of the belt was used; in everyday wear, as a rule, green, gray.
• Slutsk belts were used as wallets. Before tying it, the belt was doubled in length. Money was put into such a peculiar pocket.
• The belt consisted of a centerpiece, a head (a beautiful ornamental pattern at the end of the belt) and a fringe, which was sewn on only for the Polish gentry.

Today, about 11 (11! out of several thousand) belts are stored in Belarus, most of which are fragments. Surely belts are still kept in some churches, because from the end of the 18th century ornaments for clergy were sewn from them. They are also in private collections, but the owners do not advertise their values.

Hell of relatives, hell of native huts
At the master's yard there is a beauty
Yana, byazdolny, knots
Weaving patched payas.

I call for a long time,
Dzyavochya forgotten dreams,
Pile of wide fabrics
Yanas are weaved in the Persian way.

Tsamnee edge jagged boron...
I tche, forgetful, hand,
Zamіzh Persian pattern,
Radzima flower cornflower.

Maxim Bagdanovich. Slutsk weavers. 1912

In many countries of the world people know about Slutsk belts - highly artistic works of hand weaving in Belarus in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. Large collections are kept in the State Historical Museum of the USSR, in the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of the USSR and in the Hermitage, the State Historical Museum of the Ukrainian SSR in Kyiv and in the Ethnographic Museum in Lvov. There are also in Vilnius in the Historical and Ethnographic Museum, and in the Chernihiv Historical Museum. Abroad, collections of Slutsk belts are kept in the National Museums of Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan, in the Museum of the History of Textile Production in Lodz, in museums in Paris and New York.
In Belarus, there are Slutsk belts in museums in Minsk, in the Grodno Historical and Archaeological Museum, and one is kept in the Minsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Molodechno.
These belts were made by hand at the Slutsk manufactory of silk belts, which belonged to the princes Radziwills, founded in the late 30s of the 18th century. It was created from three enterprises: the earliest, which produced gold galloons for hats, uniforms and costumes, as well as belts, the second - a "factory" for the production of silk belts, and the third - a "factory of various materials", which were woven with silk, gold and silver thread. One of these enterprises - the "factory" of silk belts - was originally located in Nesvizh (from the mid-50s of the 18th century) and at the end of 1760 was transferred to Slutsk and merged with others into the famous Slutsk silk belt manufactory (35, p. 443-444). Thus, this manufactory, given its initial activity, is the first of the manufactories not only in Belarus, but throughout the entire territory of the then Commonwealth.
During this period, weaving craft was developed in Slutsk and long-standing artistic traditions were formed. Thus, according to the register of craftsmen of 1737 (incomplete), there were 23 weavers, 12 braiders, 1 embroiderer, 1 carpet weaver in the city. In the 30-40s of the XVIII century. in Slutsk, silk belts with metal threads were produced, which testifies to the great skill of local Belarusian craftsmen of that time. The products were varied: “rich” and “simple” belts were produced, as well as gold and silver galloons, stripes, ribbons, carpets and tapestries. The princely administration managed the enterprises. The volume of production was relatively small. There is information not only about the belts, but also about the Slutsk "Turkish red" carpet, made before 1756 according to the oriental model.
Just in the middle of the XVIII century. on the territory of the Commonwealth and in Belarus, including Turkish and Persian silk belts, decorated with patterns of different colors, gold and silver threads, came into fashion. They were very expensive - up to 1000 zlotys (the lieutenant then received 600 zlotys a year). Such belts were long and wide, woven with gold and silver on silk. True, there were cheaper belts (from 50 to 200 zlotys). They were worn by magnates and the richest gentry.
Given the demand for leshkovy belts, the then owner of Slutsk, Prince Hieronymus Florian Radziwill, decided to open a large manufactory, ordering the construction of two large buildings for it, which were ready already in 1756. In May 1760, after the death of Hieronymus Florian, Slutsk was inherited by his eldest brother Mikhail Kazimir, owner of Nesvizh. At the end of 1760, this magnate transferred a small manufactory for the development of "Persian" belts ("Persian") from Nesvizh to Slutsk. At that time, a well-known master, a Turkish Armenian, Jan Madzharsky (Hovhannes Madzharyants), who came to the prince from Istanbul, worked on it, 2 apprentices and 9 students (48, l. 8).
Why was the "Persian" transferred by the magnate from one city to another? It seemed that it was better for him to have a manufactory of silk belts next to him, in Nesvizh, where his residence was.
Historians M. Balinsky, Yu. Kolachkovsky and 3. Glöger back in the 19th century. as well as T. Mankovsky (in the 30-50s of the XX century) noted that in Nesvizh and Slutsk there were separate manufactories of silk Persian belts (persianni). At the same time, the Nesvizh manufactory soon ceased to exist, while the Slutsk one “flourished” (34 a, p. 647; 34 b, p. 328; 35, p. 443-44; 36, p. 33). These observations of historians are supported by relevant archival information. Slutsk was a city with more old tradition weaving, there were more skilled craftsmen, handicraft workshops already existed, as well as other magnate manufactories for the production of galloons and various materials that were woven with silk, gold and silver thread. Experience in managing such enterprises was accumulated here. In the villages of Sluchchyna, a kind of weaving has long been developed. Large industrial premises for that time were built. All this was taken into account when the Persian factory from Nesvizh was transferred to Slutsk and merged with the manufactories available here. Instead of 12 employees of the manufactory in Nesvizh in 1759-1760. (including 9 students) in Slutsk in 1763, 46 people were already working: Jan Madzharsky, 39 apprentices and 6 girls-woolers of silk. In those days, they studied the craft for a long time, several years. These figures speak of already trained craftsmen in Slutsk, which was not in Nesvizh
The production facilities of the Slutsk silk-weaving manufactory were built on Senatorskaya Street, in the New Town, across the Sluch River. This street stretched from the dam to the New Castle.
Radziwill wanted to create an exemplary manufactory so that its products would not only compete with Turkish, Persian and Chinese belts and fabrics, but also surpass overseas products. And he achieved it.
The expansion of the manufactory in Slutsk is associated with the name of Jan Madzharsky, who moved to Belarus at the end of 1757, and from January 1758 became the head (maitre)
a small manufactory of silk belts in Nesvizh. Parts of a special loom and a special skating rink for rolling belts, which belonged to him, were transported to Belarus. Some of the machines were made on site. After moving to Slutsk, Jan Madzharsky managed the manufactory until 1776. As early as 1763, the Slutsk factory was reorganized, its production increased dramatically, and the enterprise itself expanded. The products of the Slutsk manufactory of silk belts were gaining more and more popularity in the Commonwealth.
In the 60-70s of the XVIII century. Slutsk belts were woven from silk, gold and silver threads. The length of various belts ranged from 300 to 408 centimeters, width - 27-28.5 centimeters. They were decorated with rich ornaments. Both sides of the belt were woven in different colors. The field of the belt itself was usually filled with transverse stripes or a scaly pattern. The ends were woven with lush garlands of flowers and leaves. On the sides, the belt was decorated with a narrow patterned border. Since the beginning of the 80s of the XVIII century. belts ended with silk gold-woven fringe - from 12 to 30 centimeters.
In the ornament of the Slutsk belt, oriental patterns with a folk, Belarusian pattern were used: stylized cornflowers, forget-me-nots, oak leaves, acorns. Slutsk belt (pass) was a long shiny strip of silk, gold and silver threads. Belts could also be "cast" of gold. Such belts seemed to be cast from a single piece of metal, although their basis was silk. "Cast" belts were rolled on special skating rinks. At the ends of the belts there were marks on both sides in Latin "I was made in Slutsk", "Made in Slutsk", or in Cyrillic "In the city of Slutsk", "In Slutsk". Subsequently, when the manufactory was run by the son of Jan Madzharsky, the signature “Leo Madzharsky” appeared. The Slutsk belt usually had one side lighter, the other darker or even black. It could be turned over and with the same belt go either to a wedding or to a funeral.
In the mid 70s of the XVIII century. Prince Karol Radziwill (“Pane Kohanka”), who was always short of money due to huge expenses, decided to lease his manufactory to the wealthy Jan Madzharsky. In 1776, an agreement was signed under which Madzharsky paid 10 thousand zlotys a year to the princely treasury, for which he received at his disposal a manufactory "with all the students in it and the machines belonging to this craft." This agreement has been renewed every year. In 1778, the lease passed to Jan's son, Leon Madzharsky. The Radziwills often took products in kind from them as rent. Leon Madzharsky rented the manufactory from 1778 to 1807.
Leon Madzharsky carried out further improvements, increased the number of machines and attracted more workers. Improved product quality. They began to produce four-faced belts, i.e. with four kinds of colors and designs, when the belts were put on, they were doubled lengthwise. They produced belts measuring 300x28 and 374x34 centimeters. There were other sizes as well. Slutsk belts gained great popularity not only among the gentry of the Commonwealth, but also among the Ukrainian elders, the Russian nobility. In the 80s of the XVIII century. the export of Slutsk belts to Russia increased.
Slutsk belts quickly replaced Turkish and Persian belts and conquered the market in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and other European countries. Slutsk weavers included in the ornament flowers of the local, Belarusian flora - cornflowers, forget-me-nots and others. Because of this, he lost his oriental stylization and approached the Belarusian national ornament.
Most often, when painting a belt, they used Orange color with blue and gold threads or scarlet with blue and gold threads. Leon Madzharsky further improved the patterns. Stripes of different widths, colors and ornaments were introduced. Used contrast, alternation geometric ornament with floral.
Slutsk belts became a model for other weaving manufactories that opened in other cities and towns: in Gorodnitsa, Lososna, Stanislav, Kobylki, Lipkow, Krakow, and also in Lyon.
The Seim of the Commonwealth in 1790 emphasized the importance of the manufacture of Slutsk belts and elevated Leon Madzharsky with all his descendants to the nobility (for a diploma for the nobility, he paid 500 ducats in gold to the treasury). His granddaughter Elizaveta in 1818 married the Belarusian landowner Cheslav Manyushko, who had a small estate Ubel in Igumenshchina (now Chervensky district) and a house in Minsk (now at the corner of Engels and Internatsionalnaya streets). On May 5, 1819, their son Stanisław (1819-1872), later an outstanding Polish composer, conductor and musical and public figure, the founder of the national classical opera, was born in the Ubelka falwarka on May 5, 1819.
Annual production of the Slutsk manufactory until the end of the 18th century. amounted to 200 belts. They cost from 5 to 50 red zlotys (from 83 to 833 zlotys). For 50 złoty you could buy two horses. After the annexation of Belarus to Russia, in 1796, the belt cost 50-100 rubles.
In the description of Slutsk in 1765, it is noted that “at the pereskoy factory” there were 16 machines and more than 800 different parts for them: spinning wheels, rollers, bobbins, shuttles and others. Jan Madzharsky exported his first loom from Turkey in parts, since the Sultan's authorities strictly forbade the export of such looms, so that in other countries there would be no competition for Turkish silk belts with gold. The machine was already assembled in Slutsk. Other machines were made in Belarus by princely mechanics on the model of the assembled machine. The secret of the Slutsk products was that Madzharsky brought a special machine tool with brass and copper parts, and this affected the special quality of the Slutsk belts.
The complex of buildings of the Slutsk manufactory occupied a large area - 2.4 hectares. Here in 1765 there were production facilities and barracks with 11 rooms, where the master and workers of the manufactory lived. In 1793, the two-storey building of the manufactory had 5 production premises (stations), 2 large production premises (halls), carpentry and administrative premises. The number of machine tools at the manufactory in the last quarter of the 18th century. increased to 24-25. In 1793 there were 28 different machines here. The total number of employees reached 60 people. Thus, until the end of the XVIII century. the number of machine tools operating at the manufactory was significant, and the volume of production did not decrease (10, p. 51).
At the beginning of the XIX century. Leon Madzharsky's income declined as silk sashes began to fall out of fashion. In 1801-1802. only 12 machines worked.
Judging by the lists of workers, there were no foreigners (except for J. Madzharsky) at the manufactory. Mostly local residents, the townspeople of Slutsk and Nesvizh, and peasants from the villages of Slutsk worked on it. So, in 1807, out of 27 workers, 19 came from Slutsk, 2 from Urechye, 2 from Nesvizh, 1 from Sverzhen, 1 from Selk (near Slutsk). The names and surnames of workers indicate their local, Belarusian origin. This refutes the opinion of a number of Polish and other historians that Turks and Persians, allegedly invited here by Radziwill, worked at the manufactory. Among the workers are listed and female workers. So the well-known poem by Maxim Bogdanovich "Slutsk weavers" has a completely real historical basis.
In 1807, Madzharsky refused to lease the manufactory and received the Mankov estate (later Mankovo) from the prince. In the first decades of the XIX century. the factory fell into disrepair. After 1810, production dropped significantly.
During the war of 1812, the manufactory suffered severe damage: some of the materials were looted, the rollers were taken away, and some workers were dismissed due to lack of work. In 1814, however, it was reopened, but faded from year to year. The Radziwill administration leased the manufactory in 1823 to the Slutsk merchant Kantorovich, and then to his daughter, to the wealthy merchant Bluma Lieberman and her husband... for 30 silver rubles a year! The lease lasted until 1835. In 1823, only 1 machine tool worked here, on which 4 civilian workers worked. For the whole year, only 6 belts and 147 pieces of different silk materials were produced. In 1828, only 1 master and 1 apprentice worked. Since 1835, the lease of the manufactory was transferred to various residents of Slutsk. The latest information about the production of silk belts for Prince Wilhelm Radziwill dates back to 1846. In the same year, the owner of the manufactory, Prince L. Vitenshtein, ordered to close it (36, pp. 48-50). This is how the once famous manufactory of Slutsk belts ended its existence.

The famous Slutsk belts are one of the national relics of the Belarusians, a wonderful example of arts and crafts, which has become not only a historical cultural symbol, but also a modern brand of Belarus.

An unusually beautiful, symbolic and expensive item of men's wardrobe, accessible only to people from the upper classes - Slutsk belts - were woven in Belarus in the 18th century. Amazing events and family secrets, mysterious and sometimes mystical stories are connected with them.

Today, ancient Slutsk belts are a rarity: single copies and fragments are kept in Belarus, and most of the works of national arts and crafts are in museums and private collections around the world.

Long wide belts beautiful pattern and complex weaving from precious threads became widespread in the Belarusian lands as early as the 16th-17th centuries, which was facilitated by legends about the origin of the aristocracy of the Commonwealth from the ancient warlike tribes of the Sarmatians.

In the attire of magnates, the belt was a symbol of belonging to the elite, centuries-old family traditions and, of course, wealth. Expensive belts for the gentry were brought from the eastern countries, but in the 18th century a unique artistic phenomenon, the "Slutsk belt", was formed on the Belarusian lands.

Belarusian weavers have created their own unique patterns and symbolic motifs, exclusive technology. Belts of the Slutsk persiyarny, the manufactory of the richest and most influential dynasty of Europe, the Radziwills, gained world fame.

The first persiary originated in Nesvizh, but by order of Mikhail Kazimir Radziwill Rybanka in the 1750s it was transferred to Slutsk, which has long been famous for skilled weavers.

The well-known master Jan Madzharsky (Avanes Madzharyants of Armenian origin, who worked in Istanbul, Stanislav) was invited to guide. In 1777-1807, his son Leon led the manufactory.

During the heyday of Slutsk, up to 55 weavers (only men!), The same number of apprentices and spinners worked. About 200 belts of the finest work were produced annually on 20-25 machines.

Very soon, Slutsk belts began to be copied at other manufactories: in Belarusian Grodno, Slonim, Ruzhany, Postavy, Korelichi, Shklov, Polish Kobylki, Lipkow, Krakow, Gdansk, French Lyon, in Austria ...

But even despite the sign "Slutsk made me", these were not real Slutsk belts. The production of originals at the Radziwill manufactory itself continued until the middle of the 19th century.

It is believed that about a thousand Slutsk belts have survived in the world today. And almost all of them are outside of Belarus: in the museum collections of Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Gdansk), Ukraine (Kyiv, Lvov), Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg), Lithuania (Vilnius, Kaunas), in private collections.

Belarusian museums keep 11 Slutsk belts different years manufacturing and various conditions, as well as numerous fragments.

Classical Slutsk belt- this is a luxurious long (up to 3.5-4 m) fabric 35-40 cm wide, which, folded in half or twisted, was tied over a gentry costume (kuntush).

A chic accessory could be one-, two-, three-, four-faced. Each side was used depending on the color of the outfit and the situation. For example, on a holiday, a belt was tied outward with a golden, red part; the black side was used in mourning; in Everyday life- green and grey.

According to the composition, the Slutsk belt is divided into three parts: two rectangular ends ("heads") and the main part ("middle").

Patterns of flowers, intertwined stems with leaves, tree branches, medallions of various shapes were woven on the "heads". The main part consisted of transverse plain stripes or stripes with ornaments. Sometimes a "lusk" (similar to fish scales) pattern or a "polka dot" pattern appeared here.

Along the sides of the belt there is a narrow border with floral ornaments. The ends are also finished with an ornamental stripe and tassels.

The Slutsk belt was woven from natural silk threads: ordinary and wrapped with the finest gold or silver wire. Such a precious accessory was called "cast", because after rolling a slightly rough belt through a special shaft, extraordinary smoothness and luxurious shine appeared.

Slutsk craftsmen put special marks on each belt: during the time of the Commonwealth - in Latin, later in Cyrillic: "SLUCK", "SLUCIAE", "SLUCIAE FECIT", "MEFECIT SLUCIAE" ("Slutsk made me"), "VЪ GRAD SLUTSK" "...

The rarest collection of Slutsk belts from the State Art Gallery of the BSSR consisted of 48 items. In 1940, part of the collection was exhibited in Moscow at an exhibition dedicated to the Decade of Belarusian Art, then returned to Minsk. At the same time, the belts were photographed and described. Documents have also been preserved confirming that the Slutsk belts belong to the Belarusian museum. The belts disappeared during the Great Patriotic War. According to one version, during the period of occupation they were taken to Koenigsberg and ended up in the "Inventory of exhibits stolen and destroyed by the fascist army in 1941-1944." According to another version, the belts survived and are stored in one of the museums in Russia or Ukraine. There is also a third version, according to which the box with belts at the beginning of the war could have been hidden in an underground passage located next to the gallery. The fate of the exhibits today is actively studied by specialists from the National Art Museum.

This is a photo of the belt, taken by me in Nesvizh Castle

Here are the exhibits of the Nesvizh Castle

This is a Belarusian ornament

And this is how these miracle belts are made

I hope you, friends, were interested in seeing these amazing man-made works? ..

Plan:

Introduction

• 1 Description
• 2 Start of production in Belarus
• 3 Distribution and "sunset" of production
• 4 Period after the end of production
• 5 Museums in whose collections Slutsk belts are kept
• 6 Interesting Facts
Literature

Introduction

Vaclav Rzewuski ( Waclaw Rzewuski) in a suit with a belt

Slutsk belt

Slutsk belt(belor. Slutsk belt) - an element of a rich men's costume of the Polish and Litvin (Belarusian) gentry. It was considered a sign of noble birth and its presence indicated the well-being of the owner. The name comes from the name of the city of Slutsk in Belarus.

1. Description

Slutsk belts were woven from thin silk, gold and silver threads. The length of the belt reached from 2 to 4.5 meters, and the width from 30 to 50 cm. The belts were decorated along the edges - with a patterned border, and the ends - with a magnificent, mainly floral ornament, in which folk patterns were combined with oriental motifs. The Slutsk belt had no wrong side, all sides were front. Belts were made one-sided (with the reverse side), two-sided (both sides are front or one double-sided with one wrong side). The four-sided Slutsk belts were considered the most valuable - each side of the belt was divided into two parts with different colors, the belt folded in half. The middle of the belt had an ornament with transverse smooth or patterned stripes, less often the pattern was mesh, polka dots, etc. The ends of the belt had a complex ornament, more often with two motifs: most often an oval surrounded by leaves with stems and flowers. In the corner of the belt, on both sides, a label was woven in Old Slavonic and Latin (Slutsk, In the city of Slutsk, Made in Slutsk). The ends of the belt were sometimes fringed. Slutsk belts were tied on top of the kuntush - men's outerwear, weapons were attached to the belt.

2. Start of production in Belarus

Initially, belts were brought from the East - from the Ottoman Empire, Persia, so they were called Istanbul or Persian. In 1758, a manufactory was organized to produce belts. Such manufactories were called - "Persian" (Belarusian Persian), from the place of origin of the prototype of the Slutsk belt. The most famous was the Slutsk manufactory, the founder of which was Mikhail Kazimir Radziwill (1702-1762), the great hetman of Lithuania.

At the end of 1757, the famous Turkish master Hovhannes Majarants, an Armenian by nationality, was invited to Slutsk. He worked for some time in Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk), then in Nesvizh. Two Slutsk artists, Jan Godowsky and Tomasz Khaetsky, were trained in Stanislav. In 1758, Hovhannes Madzharants concludes an agreement with Mikhail Kazimir Radziwill on the creation of a "Persian factory" for the manufacture of a "belt with gold and silk" with mandatory training of local craftsmen in "Persian work".

Initially, masters from the Ottoman Empire and Persia were invited. Therefore, the first belts were made with oriental patterns. The weaver's training lasted at least seven years. When local craftsmen mastered the process of making belts, they began to use local motifs in belt patterns - forget-me-nots, cornflowers, chamomile, maple, oak leaves.

In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the name of Hovhannes Madzharants was remade into the local manner - Jan Madzharsky.

His great-granddaughter Elizaveta is the mother of Stanislav Moniuszko, a famous composer and conductor.

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Madzharsky's son, Levon (Lyavon), became a tenant of the Slutsk manufactory, where about 60 weavers already worked.

The craftsmanship of local weavers was so great that kuntush belts, made even outside of Slutsk, began to be called Slutsk.

3. Distribution and "sunset" of production

Slutsk belts were also produced in Nesvizh, Warsaw, Krakow and other cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth. Their production was also organized at Moscow and Lyon factories. In Moscow, there were about 20 silk weaving industries.

On the territory of modern Poland, the most famous Persians were located in Kobylki and Lipkow near Warsaw. Several production facilities were located in Krakow and Gdansk. These factories were under the great influence of the Slutsk manufactory.

The Slutsk manufactory existed until 1848. After the third partition of the Commonwealth and the uprising of 1831 in the territories that became part of the Russian Empire, it was forbidden to wear Slutsk belts, fashion trends are changing. Under the influence of these factors, the nature of production changes - the production of fabrics for church needs begins.

4. Period after the end of production

In the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, Slutsk belts become a collector's item. They are collected by museums and individuals. Belts began to be studied as products of artistic weaving.

Weaving technologies that were used in the production of Slutsk belts are now lost.

5. Museums, in the collections of which the Slutsk belts are kept

• State Historical Museum in Moscow
• Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture of the Institute of Art History, Ethnography and Folklore of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus
• Russian Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg
• Ivan Lutskevich Museum in Vilnius
• Lviv Museum of Ethnography and Artistic Crafts of the Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• Lviv Historical Museum
• Smolensk State Museum-Reserve
• Minsk Regional Museum of Local Lore of Molodechno
• Historical and Archaeological Museum in Grodno, Belarus
• National Museum in Warsaw
• Belarusian National Art Museum
• Slonim Museum of Local Lore

6. Interesting facts

Only men were engaged in weaving in the manufactories for the manufacture of Slutsk belts. It was believed that when touched female hand to gold and silver threads, they will fade and the belt will be damaged.

Patterns for belts were developed not by weavers, but by artists.

When participating in the holidays, the belt was tied outward with the golden, red part of the belt; in mourning, the black side of the belt was used; in everyday wear, as a rule, green, gray.

It took from 400 to 800 grams of gold to make one belt.

The cost of the belt ranged from 5 to 50 ducats (one ducat was equal to 3 gold rubles). The price in zlotys reached 1000, which was approximately equal to the annual income of an officer in the army of the Commonwealth.

Literature

• Yakunina L.I. Slutsk belts in the collection of the State Historical Museum. M., Narkompros of the RSFSR. 16 pages; 1941 570 copies.
• Yakunina L.I., Slutsk belts, Minsk, 1960.