Art Institute of Chicago

Man's Waist Sash

Made in Iran or Poland for the Polish market

Date

18th century

Medium

Silk compound weave, with applied silk and metal fringe

Culture

Iran

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The long silk sashes worn as part of men’s dress in Persia (present-day Iran) and north India were adopted by Polish nobility during the late 1600s. Wrapped around the waist with the fringed ends hanging free, such expensive woven silks denoted the wearer’s high status. Sashes became part of noblemen’s formal dress as a symbol of Poland’s history as the territory connecting Europe and Asia. They were exported from Iran, made in Poland, and made in France for export to Poland.

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