Pair of Pattens
ca.1867 (made)
| Place of origin |
Qabqab were worn in the Turkish bathhouse and were designed to elevate the wearer's feet away from the soapy, dirty bath water on the hot floor of the bathhouse.
This pair are made from a hard wood and are inlaid with mother of pearl decoration. The fabric strap that would have been attached to the front of the sole and which wrapped over the wearer's foot is missing. They were purchased by the V&A from the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition and were probably never worn.
Early depictions of women wearing these high shoes feature in the artworks of 16th century European travellers who were fascinated by the exoticism of the Ottoman bathhouse. The subject continued to hold fascination with western artists up to the end of the nineteenth century and as such, the bathhouse came to exemplify a Victorian vision of 'oriental otherness'. In reality, qabqabs had become less common by the late 1800s due to new shoe fashions and also the popularity of private bathrooms.
This pair are made from a hard wood and are inlaid with mother of pearl decoration. The fabric strap that would have been attached to the front of the sole and which wrapped over the wearer's foot is missing. They were purchased by the V&A from the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition and were probably never worn.
Early depictions of women wearing these high shoes feature in the artworks of 16th century European travellers who were fascinated by the exoticism of the Ottoman bathhouse. The subject continued to hold fascination with western artists up to the end of the nineteenth century and as such, the bathhouse came to exemplify a Victorian vision of 'oriental otherness'. In reality, qabqabs had become less common by the late 1800s due to new shoe fashions and also the popularity of private bathrooms.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Wood and mother of pearl inlay |
| Brief description | Pair of qabqab (bath shoes), wood with mother of pearl inlay; Turkey, ca.1867 |
| Physical description | A pair of qabqab (bath shoes), made of wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl in a geometric design, the wooden sole is elevated by two paralel vertical wooden plates at the front and back. The toe straps that would have held the shoes onto the foot at the front are missing. |
| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition |
| Summary | Qabqab were worn in the Turkish bathhouse and were designed to elevate the wearer's feet away from the soapy, dirty bath water on the hot floor of the bathhouse. This pair are made from a hard wood and are inlaid with mother of pearl decoration. The fabric strap that would have been attached to the front of the sole and which wrapped over the wearer's foot is missing. They were purchased by the V&A from the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition and were probably never worn. Early depictions of women wearing these high shoes feature in the artworks of 16th century European travellers who were fascinated by the exoticism of the Ottoman bathhouse. The subject continued to hold fascination with western artists up to the end of the nineteenth century and as such, the bathhouse came to exemplify a Victorian vision of 'oriental otherness'. In reality, qabqabs had become less common by the late 1800s due to new shoe fashions and also the popularity of private bathrooms. |
| Bibliographic reference | Semmelhack, Elizabeth, On a Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels, Toronto : Bata Shoe Museum, 2009 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1020-1869 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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