Shoe
1800-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This striking pair of Manchu shoes would have elevated their female wearer. The thick, boat-shaped soles are made from layers of felted paper, whitened around the edges, with stitched leather bottoms. Manchu women of lower ranks used such shoes for outdoor wear. The paper sole is rigid, but upturned towards the toe to give a spring to the step. Being made from paper, the shoes were much lighter than wood, but just as sturdy.
The Chinese developed the techniques of papermaking during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and the craft of making three-dimensional objects out of paper is almost as ancient. In this pair, the shoe uppers are made from peach-coloured satin, richly embroidered with a floral trail pattern couched in gold-wrapped threads, which glistened with green and crimson spangles.
The Chinese developed the techniques of papermaking during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and the craft of making three-dimensional objects out of paper is almost as ancient. In this pair, the shoe uppers are made from peach-coloured satin, richly embroidered with a floral trail pattern couched in gold-wrapped threads, which glistened with green and crimson spangles.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Satin-weave silk; embroidery in metallic threads and spangles; paper; leather |
| Brief description | Shoe for a Manchu woman, satin-weave silk; embroidery in metallic threads and spangles; paper; leather, China, Qing dynasty, 1800-1850 |
| Physical description | Manchu shoe for women of lower ranks characterised by its thick boat-shaped convex sole most likely made of layers of felted paper with a final layer of leather at the sole, whitened around the edges, with a slightly upturned toe. The shoe is in peach-coloured silk satin densely embroidered with tinsel spangles in green and crimson, and gold wrapped thread to form a floral trail pattern on its upper which has a red silk border. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Miss Caroline Nias and Mrs Isabel Baynes |
| Object history | Registered File number 1922/5416. |
| Summary | This striking pair of Manchu shoes would have elevated their female wearer. The thick, boat-shaped soles are made from layers of felted paper, whitened around the edges, with stitched leather bottoms. Manchu women of lower ranks used such shoes for outdoor wear. The paper sole is rigid, but upturned towards the toe to give a spring to the step. Being made from paper, the shoes were much lighter than wood, but just as sturdy. The Chinese developed the techniques of papermaking during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and the craft of making three-dimensional objects out of paper is almost as ancient. In this pair, the shoe uppers are made from peach-coloured satin, richly embroidered with a floral trail pattern couched in gold-wrapped threads, which glistened with green and crimson spangles. |
| Associated object | CIRC.300-1922 (Pair) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.184-1922 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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