«Հայկական հոգին բելառուսական գոտիներում» - Իրինա ՍԿՎՈՐՑՈՎԱ

Irina Skvortsova's article is devoted to the role of Armenian craftsmen and trading houses in the establishment and development of the production of kontusz sashes on Belarusian lands in the 17th–18th centuries, including the genesis of the famous Slutsk sashes.

Introduction and Methodology
The author examines the kontusz sash as a key element of the national aristocratic costume of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and, at the same time, as a monument of decorative and applied art. The study is based on a historical-cultural analysis of the ideology of Sarmatism, trade relations with the East, and the technological features of manufactory production, which allows tracing the evolution of the sash from an imported Eastern item to a distinctive Belarusian artistic phenomenon.

Ideological Preconditions for the Fashion for Sashes
Skvortsova shows that the spread of the cult of sashes was connected with the genealogical myth of the szlachta's descent from the ancient Sarmatians, which arose after the Union of Lublin in 1569. The aristocracy's aspiration to imitate their "ancient ancestors," despite superficial knowledge of their way of life, led to the identification of "Sarmatian" with Eastern material culture and stimulated a fashion for Orientalism in costume and home décor.

The Role of Armenian Merchants and Craftsmen
Particular attention is given to:
• the significant role of Armenian settlers in Galicia and other regions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, who settled there as a result of several waves of migration beginning in the 11th century;
• the activity of the Nikorowicz trading house, which supplied the import of Eastern sashes of various price categories;
• the work of Armenian weavers of Istanbul — Jakub Piotrowicz and Ewon Mikonowicz — who were the first to adapt the construction of the Eastern sash to the European manner of wearing it, creating a two-sided type of fabric and reducing the ornamental motifs.

The author emphasizes that it was precisely the Armenian craftsmen who initiated the transformation of the Eastern sash toward the future Belarusian type of product, introducing the principles of pattern symmetry and craftsmen's signatures on items intended for the market of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Establishment of Local Production
A separate section is devoted to the difficulties of organizing one's own "persiarnie" (Persian-style workshops) on Belarusian lands — the necessity of importing raw materials, equipment, and qualified personnel. Skvortsova notes that the decisive role in overcoming these difficulties was played by the patronage of magnate families (the Radziwiłłs, the Oginskis, the Sapiehas, the Potockis), who sought manufactory independence for the country. The first workshops arose in Galicia, in particular the workshop of the Armenian Dominik Missiorowicz in Stanisław, where the further development of the compositional principles laid down by the Istanbul Armenian weavers took place.

Conclusion
The key conclusion of the article is that at all stages of the development of kontusz sash production in Belarus — the "preparatory," "early," and "high" stages — the participation of Armenian craftsmen and merchants played a defining role. Their activity ensured not only the technical improvement of sash production but also the formation of a distinctive artistic language, which later achieved its highest expression in the products of the Slutsk manufactory, which became one of the symbols of the artistic culture of Belarus.