Pair of Boots
1800-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Uygur women generally wore long boot, made from leather or embroidered fabric, with high heels in winter. This pair of luxurious boots and overshoes (T.31F, G-1932) are covered with red and green silk velvet, applied in a scrolled pattern, with the upper sections in a turquoise cotton fabric, embroidered in chain stitch with floral and wave patterns. The uppers and toe caps of the overshoes are edged with dyed-green donkey leather, and neatly trimmed with tufts of coloured wool.
In Xinjiang, shoemaking was generally carried out by men with skills that had been handed down in the family, although the industry could also be entered through an apprenticeship. Overshoes such as these were primarily worn by the wealthy, and formed part of the toyluq, or gifts presented to the bride by the groom’s parents. The overshoes protected the boots and were also practical: Uygurs would remove their shoes or outer slippers when entering a mosque to pray, a practice made easier by wearing overshoes.
In Xinjiang, shoemaking was generally carried out by men with skills that had been handed down in the family, although the industry could also be entered through an apprenticeship. Overshoes such as these were primarily worn by the wealthy, and formed part of the toyluq, or gifts presented to the bride by the groom’s parents. The overshoes protected the boots and were also practical: Uygurs would remove their shoes or outer slippers when entering a mosque to pray, a practice made easier by wearing overshoes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Leather; silk velvet; cotton; wool; embroidery in silk and metallic threads |
| Brief description | Pair of boots for a Uygur woman, leather with applied silk velvet and silk embroidery, Khotan (Hetian), Xinjiang, China, 1800-1900 |
| Physical description | Pair of boots, of soft leather, covered to three quarters of their height with red and green velvet applied in a pattern. The upper part is covered with green cloth, embroidered in chain-stitch with floral sprays. The soles are of leather. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Captain George Sherriff |
| Object history | The green trousers came into the Museum as part of a set with a magenta pink coat, blue tunic, green trousers, red waistcoat, a tasselled hat and silver and coral plait decorations. George Sherriff (1898-1967), the renowned plant hunter who donated them to the Museum, recorded that he acquired them in Khotan, a town in today's Xinjiang Region of China. (Registered File number 1898/1932) |
| Production | From the Khotan region (today Hetian) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Uygur women generally wore long boot, made from leather or embroidered fabric, with high heels in winter. This pair of luxurious boots and overshoes (T.31F, G-1932) are covered with red and green silk velvet, applied in a scrolled pattern, with the upper sections in a turquoise cotton fabric, embroidered in chain stitch with floral and wave patterns. The uppers and toe caps of the overshoes are edged with dyed-green donkey leather, and neatly trimmed with tufts of coloured wool. In Xinjiang, shoemaking was generally carried out by men with skills that had been handed down in the family, although the industry could also be entered through an apprenticeship. Overshoes such as these were primarily worn by the wealthy, and formed part of the toyluq, or gifts presented to the bride by the groom’s parents. The overshoes protected the boots and were also practical: Uygurs would remove their shoes or outer slippers when entering a mosque to pray, a practice made easier by wearing overshoes. |
| Associated object | T.31F-1932 (Part) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.31D&E-1932 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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