Kontusz sash (front view)

A kontusz sash, produced in the Grodno factory in the second half of the 18th century.

Kontusz sashes became an inseparable element of the Polish nobleman’s attire starting in the mid-16th century. The Polish outfit was markedly different from the West-European fashion of that time. One of its characteristic components was the silk sash worn as a scarf around the zupan (long men’s garment).

The factory in Grodno was founded in the late 18th century, upon the initiative of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. It was managed by Antoni Tyzenhauz, Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the starost of Grodno since 1765. From 1765-1780, administrator of the royal estates in Lithuania.