DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.23631#0041
which it was worn. Sometimes sleeves were worn on the arms, sometimes the arms emerged from the
slits. In the language of gestures practised by the gentry of the time, the sleeves thrown hack over the
shoulders meant readiness for an armed quarrel; brushing against somebody with the sleeves thrown back
was a sign of scorn, an insult, even a challenge to a duel. Boys wore the sleeves tied across the back. In
1776, the gentry of each voivodship was assigned a specific colour for the kontush and zhupan worn on
public occasions, such as regional diets and Seym sessions. Soon, lapels were added to the kontush, and
even officers' epaulettes. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Polish military tunic evolved from
the short kontush. Of excellent cut, comfortable and practical in battle, it was adopted by some foreign
armies in the following century.
The delia, of Persian-Turkish origin, was only worn out of doors. This was a loose cloak thrown over
the shoulders, clasped across the chest with an ornamental chain of gold or gilded silver, matching bosses
all down the front, and occasionally silk loops. Its sleeves were left hanging at the sides, sometimes thrown
over the shoulders. The delia had a wide fur collar and was bordered with fur all round, including the
sleeves at the wrist; the fur was usually sable. Delias were made of heavier materials, crimson or blue cloth
or velvet, occasionally brocade. The ferezia, somewhat similar to the delia, also worn out of doors,
came to Poland from Turkey via Muscovy. From the delia it differed in that it had short sleeves and
silk loops on the chest.
All attributes and ornaments worn with the national costume demonstrated the high artistic skill of the
craftsmen who made them. They were mostly the work of local anonymous craftsmen, and were made of
imported materials. Bosses and studs of gold and silver, set with precious stones, were produced by gold-
smiths. The attire of kings and magnates was adorned with complete sets of studs, clasps and bosses match-
ing the ornaments on sword hilts and scabbards and on bulava maces. For example, Crown Prince
Ladislaus, in his excellent portrait in the Wilanow picture gallery, is shown wearing a delia with a gold
clasp set with rubies, identical bosses on his zhupan, his sword hilt and scabbard and his bulava made of
gold similarly set with rubies. In the first half of the 18th century, bosses were made either of precious
metals, or semi-precious stones, usually jasper, carnelian, chalcedony or agate, partly imported from mines
in Saxony. Kitowicz mentions that bosses of solid carnelian the size of walnuts were a speciality of Kolbu-
szowa and Glogow. Larger bosses, usually six of them, were sewn on the kontush, and smaller ones on
the zhupan, which was clasped at the neck with an ornamental stud. Great plum-shaped bosses adorned
the delia, which was fastened across the chest with a gold or silver chain and oblong clasp. Metal bosses
— usually silver or brass, occasionally gold — were round, pear-shaped or multiangular, always with
a small rosette or star at the top, set with small stones, such as rubies, sapphires, garnets, turquoises or
coral, sometimes enamelled or nrelloed. They were decorated by means of granulation, filigree or open
work techniques. Needless to say, diamond studs and bosses were most costly. This is what King John III
wrote to his beloved Queen Marysiehka thanking her for her gift: 'Those diamond studs when sewn on
my black zhupan... what can I say, nothing could be more attractive. Each adds lustre to the other. People
here couldn't stop admiring them...' In a portrait in the Czartoryski Collection in Cracow, dating from
circa 1640, Lukasz Opalihski of Bnin, Grand Marshal of the Crown, is shown wearing a crimson delia
with six oval plum-shaped bosses, a suitable crimson zhupan with twelve studs and knight's belt of
plaited silver with an S-shaped clasp on satin lining, probably with leather underneath it. These served
as sword belts.
Throughout the 16th and almost the whole of the 17th century a Hungarian-type sabre was used
in Poland. It was made in Poland with blades usually imported from Styria or from Genoa. It came
to be known as the Hungarian-Polish sabre. It had an open hilt and steel or brass quillons with long strait
arms and prominent languets; the grip of the hilt and its almond-shaped'cap were slightly slanting. This
was a very serviceable weapon in battle, but it was also frequently made for gala occasions, its magnificence
testifying to the owner's importance and wealth. In the latter case its mount and scabbard were
of gold studded with precious stones. Such sumptuous weapons are shown in the above mentioned portraits
of the Crown Prince Ladislaus and T^czyhski, while Opalihski on entering Rome in 1633 was wearing
a sabre studded in diamonds valued at 20,000 zlotys. The variety of ornate sabres carried in Poland in the
last quarter of the 17th century greatly increased, largely thanks to John III (Sobieski), who favoured the
Sarmatian style and at the same time was very much taken by the oriental, Turkish as well as Persian and
Tartar styles. In that period, at least three new types of ornate sabre appeared, all of them doing credit to
Polish sword-smiths. The first type was modelled fairly exactly on the Turkish parade sabre with the grip of
slits. In the language of gestures practised by the gentry of the time, the sleeves thrown hack over the
shoulders meant readiness for an armed quarrel; brushing against somebody with the sleeves thrown back
was a sign of scorn, an insult, even a challenge to a duel. Boys wore the sleeves tied across the back. In
1776, the gentry of each voivodship was assigned a specific colour for the kontush and zhupan worn on
public occasions, such as regional diets and Seym sessions. Soon, lapels were added to the kontush, and
even officers' epaulettes. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Polish military tunic evolved from
the short kontush. Of excellent cut, comfortable and practical in battle, it was adopted by some foreign
armies in the following century.
The delia, of Persian-Turkish origin, was only worn out of doors. This was a loose cloak thrown over
the shoulders, clasped across the chest with an ornamental chain of gold or gilded silver, matching bosses
all down the front, and occasionally silk loops. Its sleeves were left hanging at the sides, sometimes thrown
over the shoulders. The delia had a wide fur collar and was bordered with fur all round, including the
sleeves at the wrist; the fur was usually sable. Delias were made of heavier materials, crimson or blue cloth
or velvet, occasionally brocade. The ferezia, somewhat similar to the delia, also worn out of doors,
came to Poland from Turkey via Muscovy. From the delia it differed in that it had short sleeves and
silk loops on the chest.
All attributes and ornaments worn with the national costume demonstrated the high artistic skill of the
craftsmen who made them. They were mostly the work of local anonymous craftsmen, and were made of
imported materials. Bosses and studs of gold and silver, set with precious stones, were produced by gold-
smiths. The attire of kings and magnates was adorned with complete sets of studs, clasps and bosses match-
ing the ornaments on sword hilts and scabbards and on bulava maces. For example, Crown Prince
Ladislaus, in his excellent portrait in the Wilanow picture gallery, is shown wearing a delia with a gold
clasp set with rubies, identical bosses on his zhupan, his sword hilt and scabbard and his bulava made of
gold similarly set with rubies. In the first half of the 18th century, bosses were made either of precious
metals, or semi-precious stones, usually jasper, carnelian, chalcedony or agate, partly imported from mines
in Saxony. Kitowicz mentions that bosses of solid carnelian the size of walnuts were a speciality of Kolbu-
szowa and Glogow. Larger bosses, usually six of them, were sewn on the kontush, and smaller ones on
the zhupan, which was clasped at the neck with an ornamental stud. Great plum-shaped bosses adorned
the delia, which was fastened across the chest with a gold or silver chain and oblong clasp. Metal bosses
— usually silver or brass, occasionally gold — were round, pear-shaped or multiangular, always with
a small rosette or star at the top, set with small stones, such as rubies, sapphires, garnets, turquoises or
coral, sometimes enamelled or nrelloed. They were decorated by means of granulation, filigree or open
work techniques. Needless to say, diamond studs and bosses were most costly. This is what King John III
wrote to his beloved Queen Marysiehka thanking her for her gift: 'Those diamond studs when sewn on
my black zhupan... what can I say, nothing could be more attractive. Each adds lustre to the other. People
here couldn't stop admiring them...' In a portrait in the Czartoryski Collection in Cracow, dating from
circa 1640, Lukasz Opalihski of Bnin, Grand Marshal of the Crown, is shown wearing a crimson delia
with six oval plum-shaped bosses, a suitable crimson zhupan with twelve studs and knight's belt of
plaited silver with an S-shaped clasp on satin lining, probably with leather underneath it. These served
as sword belts.
Throughout the 16th and almost the whole of the 17th century a Hungarian-type sabre was used
in Poland. It was made in Poland with blades usually imported from Styria or from Genoa. It came
to be known as the Hungarian-Polish sabre. It had an open hilt and steel or brass quillons with long strait
arms and prominent languets; the grip of the hilt and its almond-shaped'cap were slightly slanting. This
was a very serviceable weapon in battle, but it was also frequently made for gala occasions, its magnificence
testifying to the owner's importance and wealth. In the latter case its mount and scabbard were
of gold studded with precious stones. Such sumptuous weapons are shown in the above mentioned portraits
of the Crown Prince Ladislaus and T^czyhski, while Opalihski on entering Rome in 1633 was wearing
a sabre studded in diamonds valued at 20,000 zlotys. The variety of ornate sabres carried in Poland in the
last quarter of the 17th century greatly increased, largely thanks to John III (Sobieski), who favoured the
Sarmatian style and at the same time was very much taken by the oriental, Turkish as well as Persian and
Tartar styles. In that period, at least three new types of ornate sabre appeared, all of them doing credit to
Polish sword-smiths. The first type was modelled fairly exactly on the Turkish parade sabre with the grip of