Six Slutsk belts from Warsaw museum to go on display in Minsk

Six Slutsk belts loaned from the National Museum in Warsaw will go on display at the National Art Museum of Belarus.

The head of ancient Belarusian art at the National Art Museum of Belarus Yelena Karpenko told BelTA.

The National Museum in Warsaw has rich collections of belts: some 300 kontush belts, 58 of which were made in Slutsk. Five belts which will be on display in Minsk were made by Slutsk Manufactory in the period when it was led by Yan and Leon Madjarski (1767-1807). One belt was made after 1807. The belts were purchased by the museum from private persons in the 1940-1960s.

Today, the National Art Museum of Belarus is mounting an exhibition which will open to the general public on 5 November. As noted by Yelena Karpenko, the exhibition is part of the state program for the revival of the ancient art of weaving.

This is not the first exhibition when Slutsk belts temporarily return home. Minsk loans the exhibits from Moscow, Vilnius, and Lvov.

A kontush belt was a mandatory accessory of ceremonial costume of the nobility of the Rzeczpospolita, an example of exquisite hand-made weaving. Ornate masterpieces were created during the period from the mid-18th century to the first half of the 19th century. The most famous factory was in Slutsk. The belts were usually worn on top of the kontush, a long robe with long and loose sleeves.

The exhibition presents five four-facial belts and one two-facial belt. Kontush belts range by right with the highest achievements of the world culture thanks to exquisite ornamentation, composition harmony, natural sense of color, delicate art taste.

The exhibition will be running until 6 April next year.