Pair of Pattens
1800-1880 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A pair of qabqab, made of wood with inlay of mother-of-pearl and textile strap, now deteroriated but perhaps once embroidered with metal thread.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | wood, mother-of-pearl inlay, textile strap |
| Brief description | Pair of qabqab, wood, mother-of-pearl inlay and textile strap; Egypt, 1800-1880 |
| Physical description | A pair of qabqab, made of wood with inlay of mother-of-pearl and textile strap, now deteroriated but perhaps once embroidered with metal thread. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Label for the exhibition Shoes: Pleasure and Pain
Even when Naked
This pair of bath clogs is typical of the qabâqib worn all over the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century. At 28.5 cm tall, they are higher than any other shoes in the exhibition. Originally used to raise the wearer above the heated floor of the hammam, such footwear became a potent symbol of wealth and status. In their extreme height and rich decoration, bath clogs reinforced social divisions.
Pair of Qabâqib
1800–80
Egypt
Wood, silk velvet, leather,
shell and metal inlay
V&A: 907&A-1884
(2015-2016) |
| Object history | Bought from the collection of Gaston de Saint-Maurice (1831-1905) in 1884. Saint-Maurice displayed his extensive art collection at the 1878 Paris exhibition, in a gallery entitled L'Egypte des Khalifes. This was part of an official sequence of displays celebrating the history of Egypt, presented by the Egyptian state at this international event. Saint-Maurice held a position at the Khedival court, and had lived in Cairo in 1868-1878. Following the exhibition, Saint-Maurice offered his collection for sale to the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A). |
| Historical context | This pair of modestly high qabqab dates to the 19th century but is typical of qabqab worn since at least the 16th century. Though Near Eastern bathhouses had heated floors, the use of the qabqab to protect the wearer's feet seems to have been limited to women. This type of footwear was worn all over the Ottoman empire, and therefore difficult to pinpoint country of origin. However, these particular ones are similar to a pair in the Bata shoe Museum which might have come from Syria. |
| Associations | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 907&A-1884 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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