Silk fabrics from Turkey in the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania and their contribution to the formation of a distinct artistic taste in the seventeenth century

Silk fabrics from Turkey were imported to the Commonwealth as early as in the Middle Ages. They were very popular in the sixteenth century, but did not receive real attention until the Baroque era. In that time, when their popularity in the Commonwealth was steadily growing, they came there first mainly by way of trade, and later as booty. Particularly exquisite, specially prepared fabrics were usually received as diplomatic gifts. An exceptional ideological significance was attributed to textiles acquired by way of booty after victorious battles with the Turks. They became a symbol of victory and an object of pride in defeating the enemy. However, the significance of silk fabrics was quite different in the place where they were made, i.e. Turkey. In the Turkish workshops, textiles were made primarily for the use of the sultans court and court dignitaries, as well as for members of the wealthier class of the society. In the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, such fabrics were very popular. They were used to make secular garments, as well as imported for liturgical vestments, wall coverings and draperies.