DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22262#0018
Katia Johansen
'Polish'. Their special details seem to be derived from Polish, Turkish, Persian and
Russian costume traditions alike.
Polish men's garments in the seventeenth century differed greatly from Northern
and Western European fashion, partly because Poland had for centuries been the
crossroads between East and West. In particular the nobility (szlachta) dressed in
long, fitted robes, in several layers, with patterned sashes, their long sleeves pushed
up in close folds. They described this fashion as 'Sarmatian', referring to the an-
cient rulers of the area between the Vistula and Volga rivers, today Poland and
Russia. When the Polish King Sigismund first wore a long grey Polish garment in
Seym in 1562, it immediately replaced the Spanish fashion, which until then had
also been worn in Poland.
The Danish court was well aware of Polish fashion. At Christian IV's coronation in
1596 the Duke of Holstein and his men dressed up 'in the Polish manner and dress'
in a tournament procession. Their 'Polish' musicians wore blue robes and smali
red hats and played large Polish bagpipes made of buckskin. The Duke himself
wore a valuable Polish robe, a beautiful smali hat with a feather aigrette, and car-
ried a mace. Christian IV later offered to negotiate in the war between Sweden and
Poland, but the archenemy Sweden was obviously not interested. There were por-
traits of Polish kings, Polish ambassadors and illustrious Polish generals in Danish
castles in the seventeenth century. At the Danish Prince Christian's wedding in
Copenhagen (1634) the Polish ambassadors were reported as particularly striking
because they walked in a special way (probably to make their long skirts swing),
carried sabres rather than swords, wore soft, yellow boots and wielded impressive
clubs before them 'as if cutting down trees left and right'. They were clean-shaven
but for their characteristic, curled-up moustaches.
The 'Polish' garments were submitted to the usual conservator's examination:
pattern taking, dye analysis, fibrę analyses of fabrics, trimmings and sewing threads,
identification of the date and place of origin of fabrics, comparisons with other
existing costumes and portraits, state of preservation and description of wear.
As the garments were going to be compared with other articles of clothing, it seemed
a good idea to work out a chart for compiling information about how they were
made, making it easier to compare with outfits in other collections. Each costume
was described as to the main pattern pieces and secondary parts as reflected in the
main and secondary seams. Seams were described in terms of their function as well
as the stitching techniąues used, length of stitches, length of threads, knots and
backstitching, evidence of pins and basting and many other individual character-
istics. It is often difflcult to compare articles of clothing that cannot be put on the
same table because space is limited and objects should not be distressed by repeat-
edly taking them out and putting back. A systematic analysis makes it easier to
describe dress, and similarities that would otherwise remain unnoticed may turn
'Polish'. Their special details seem to be derived from Polish, Turkish, Persian and
Russian costume traditions alike.
Polish men's garments in the seventeenth century differed greatly from Northern
and Western European fashion, partly because Poland had for centuries been the
crossroads between East and West. In particular the nobility (szlachta) dressed in
long, fitted robes, in several layers, with patterned sashes, their long sleeves pushed
up in close folds. They described this fashion as 'Sarmatian', referring to the an-
cient rulers of the area between the Vistula and Volga rivers, today Poland and
Russia. When the Polish King Sigismund first wore a long grey Polish garment in
Seym in 1562, it immediately replaced the Spanish fashion, which until then had
also been worn in Poland.
The Danish court was well aware of Polish fashion. At Christian IV's coronation in
1596 the Duke of Holstein and his men dressed up 'in the Polish manner and dress'
in a tournament procession. Their 'Polish' musicians wore blue robes and smali
red hats and played large Polish bagpipes made of buckskin. The Duke himself
wore a valuable Polish robe, a beautiful smali hat with a feather aigrette, and car-
ried a mace. Christian IV later offered to negotiate in the war between Sweden and
Poland, but the archenemy Sweden was obviously not interested. There were por-
traits of Polish kings, Polish ambassadors and illustrious Polish generals in Danish
castles in the seventeenth century. At the Danish Prince Christian's wedding in
Copenhagen (1634) the Polish ambassadors were reported as particularly striking
because they walked in a special way (probably to make their long skirts swing),
carried sabres rather than swords, wore soft, yellow boots and wielded impressive
clubs before them 'as if cutting down trees left and right'. They were clean-shaven
but for their characteristic, curled-up moustaches.
The 'Polish' garments were submitted to the usual conservator's examination:
pattern taking, dye analysis, fibrę analyses of fabrics, trimmings and sewing threads,
identification of the date and place of origin of fabrics, comparisons with other
existing costumes and portraits, state of preservation and description of wear.
As the garments were going to be compared with other articles of clothing, it seemed
a good idea to work out a chart for compiling information about how they were
made, making it easier to compare with outfits in other collections. Each costume
was described as to the main pattern pieces and secondary parts as reflected in the
main and secondary seams. Seams were described in terms of their function as well
as the stitching techniąues used, length of stitches, length of threads, knots and
backstitching, evidence of pins and basting and many other individual character-
istics. It is often difflcult to compare articles of clothing that cannot be put on the
same table because space is limited and objects should not be distressed by repeat-
edly taking them out and putting back. A systematic analysis makes it easier to
describe dress, and similarities that would otherwise remain unnoticed may turn