Pair of Shoes
ca. AD300-700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A flat, brown pair of leather, child’s ankle shoes. Egyptian, ca. AD300-700 (probably).
Coptic footwear was primarily made with leather, often using the turned technique, to produce a slipper or shoe with a straight sole. Slippers often included a rand at the vamp and a fibre padded sole sewn together with prominent stitching or insole tab. They show variation in the form and height of the instep. Shoes were generally slip-ons and also show variation in the form and height of the instep. Footwear was highly decorated in geometric and floral designs. Often a variety of techniques were used in combination, with the most popular being dyeing, gilding, openwork and appliqué.
Coptic footwear was primarily made with leather, often using the turned technique, to produce a slipper or shoe with a straight sole. Slippers often included a rand at the vamp and a fibre padded sole sewn together with prominent stitching or insole tab. They show variation in the form and height of the instep. Shoes were generally slip-ons and also show variation in the form and height of the instep. Footwear was highly decorated in geometric and floral designs. Often a variety of techniques were used in combination, with the most popular being dyeing, gilding, openwork and appliqué.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Tanned leather |
| Brief description | A flat, brown pair of leather, child’s ankle shoes. Egyptian, ca. AD300-700 (probably). |
| Physical description | A pair of flat, brown leather, child’s ankle shoes. Egyptian, ca. AD300-700 (probably). Round toe and round heel. Turned technique with rand. Sole: Straight. Rand 2mm wide. Upper: Once piece, joined at backseam with rand strip. Fastened round ankle with ties that are formed from the main piece. High throat, in a point over instep, that is cut back at the ankle bone and comes back around to create ties. Quarters’ top edge cut, not sewn. |
| Style | |
| Object history | Acquired from D.B.Myers. |
| Summary | A flat, brown pair of leather, child’s ankle shoes. Egyptian, ca. AD300-700 (probably). Coptic footwear was primarily made with leather, often using the turned technique, to produce a slipper or shoe with a straight sole. Slippers often included a rand at the vamp and a fibre padded sole sewn together with prominent stitching or insole tab. They show variation in the form and height of the instep. Shoes were generally slip-ons and also show variation in the form and height of the instep. Footwear was highly decorated in geometric and floral designs. Often a variety of techniques were used in combination, with the most popular being dyeing, gilding, openwork and appliqué. |
| Bibliographic reference | See R. Smalley, "Dating Coptic Footwear: A Typological and Comparative Approach", Journal of Coptic Studies 14 (2012): 97-135 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 855-1903 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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