Kontusz belt

Double-sided gilt kontusz belt in brown and gold colours. The so-called wciąż of the belt, i.e. its longest part decorated with transverse stripes know as pólka. The pólka decorated concurrently in two colours (light and dark) with brown and gold thread as well as flower ornaments, of Persian origin in two types arranged alternately. The gold background is decorated with a motif of uniformly bent, symmetrically repeated twigs with alternating flowers and leaves in brown. The second strip in brown is occupied by a similarly arranged ornament of leaves and frayed flowers, similar to the stylised Herat pattern. The pólka are separated from each other by narrow brown stripes with gold dots. A borderline with a golden background and brown swirling foliage and flowered branches surrounds the entire belt. The trim is outlined on both sides by a brown stripe in a fine brown cube. At the ends of the belt, know as its ‘heads’, there are two identical small flowering bushes growing straight out of the ground. Perfectly symmetrical bushes with various flowers in brown on a gold background. In the corners a woven signature ‘Paschalis Jakubowicz’. On the reverse of the belt there is the so-called ‘contre’ – the parts in the pólka where there was a gold background are brown, while the place previously with brown ornament is now blue. At the short sides, there are sewn-on, rather long, thin tassels in gilt silver.