A red leather shoe, Egyptian, ca. AD300-500 (possibly).

A flat, red leather shoe. Egyptian, ca. AD300-500 (possibly). Pointed toe and round heel. Turned technique. Sole: Straight. Blackened with unknown substance over most of sole. Two cracks through sole at waist and seat. Worn at toe and indented at seat. Rand inserted at heel. Upper: White residue over instep, quarters and inside. Elaborately decorated. Small circular medallion mid-vamp of black stained circle with an eight pointed, linear star inside. Surrounded by 12 rectangles pointing our from circle’s edge. Vamp then decorated with two horizontal lines of gold over black stained background; then a row of three gold squares, each separated and ended by three gold lines; then two horizontal incised lines on black stained background; a row of gold diamonds; four incised horizontal lines (on the left side the shoemaker has over cut the lines); about 14 lines run vertically to the end of the vamp over instep (some black stain remains on background). The outer vertical line on either side is cut up to meet the first incised horizontal line (above the diamond row) to form a boxed section of incised decoration. One vertical incised line either side of the backseam. The vamp sits like a slipper with the quarters made from four separate pieces of leather. They are sewn at the backseam and once again in the middle of each quarter. Not sewn to vamp. Incised lines run vertically either side of each seam and a horizontal incised line runs around the quarters (2cm from top edge). Quarters’ top are cut, not sewn. On right side is a 0.6cm wide strip of leather threaded through the quarter at waist position. It extends out each side of two holes. The holes are present on the left side but the leather strip is missing. This may have tied the shoe across the foot.

Acquired by D.B. Myers.

A red leather shoe, Egyptian, ca. AD300-500 (possibly).

869-1903