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 ART FROM THE RENASCENCE national dress. For a long time, these belts were imported from the Orient; Persian, Turkish, or Chinese belts of wool, silk, or brocade were used. The value of such a belt was between 50 and 500 ducats. But after some time, a clever, enterprising Armenian, John Madzarski, learned the art of weaving such belts in the Far East, and settled, in 1758, at Sluck in Lithuania. The workshop he established there became the model for numerous other belt factories all over the country. At Cracow such a factory was established rather late—only in 1787—by one Francis Maslowski, who conducted the business himself till 1807. His belts are distinguished by glaring colours, large flower patterns, and a serpentine ornament along the border (illustration 97).

Maslowski's was soon followed by other factories—of Pucilowski, Trajanowski, Paschalis, Stummer, and, in 1796, by that of Chmielowski. After the third division of Poland, the new governors of the country being hostile to all manifestations of ancient Polish civilization, ordinances were even issued which forbade the use of Polish dress, and the belt manufacturers, after dragging on their existence for some time, were soon ruined.

Of Cracow cabinetwork only very few relics have been preserved, which is probably to be explained by the frequent conflagrations that visited the town. Still, we find in some churches, e.g., in the cathedral, beautiful boxes, inlaid with parti-coloured wood; doors like the one preserved in the University Library, which is in perfect Renascence style; carved stalls like those in St. Mary's Church, of 1586, or those of the cathedral, or of Corpus Christi Church, which also possesses, in its huge high altar, a splendid masterpiece of cabinetmaker's art.

Finally, mention must be made of the magnificent bindings of Cracow MSS. and books; in the Renascence period, chiefly figure ornaments are used; they were stamped by means of punches into the leather of the binding.

Of late years, a Society for promoting applied art has been formed