Gallery VIII
Kontusz belts
Radziwiłł Factory
1767–1780
The collection of Maciej Radziwiłł
The Slutsk belt, otherwise known as the kontusz belt, is a decorative element of the Polish nobleman's attire. It was about 40 centimetres wide, and between 3 and 4.5 metres long. The nobles wrapped themselves several times with the belt, then shoved it down to wrap it in order to prevent it from crumpling. The most famous belts were manufactured at the factory in Slutsk. These belts were extremely colourful, and often featured golden and silver threads. One could glean a lot of information about the owner, his standing, religion and social status from such a belt. Crimson belts were worn in times of war and gold belts in times of peace.
The factory in Slutsk was headed by the Pole of Armenian descent, Jan Madżarski from 1758 to 1776, followed by his son Leon, who led it until 1807. Jan Madżarski was brought to Poland by Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł, also known as Rybeńko, who established a belt factory in his estate in Nesvizh in 1743. After Radziwiłł's death, Madżarski likely moved to Slutsk in 1767. Here, with the permission of Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, known as Panie Kochanku, he established a new factory. Slutsk belts were prized and highly sought after. In Slutsk, four-sided belts were made for the first time in history, adorned in different ways.