Rare Antique Chinese Lotus Bound Feet Embroidered Shoes/Slippers C1890
Item History & Price
Here on offer is a rare pair ofantique Chinese lotus or bound feet shoes, which have been produced from bluesilk with delicately embroidered flowers. These would have been handmade bythe owner or a maid servant. The embroidered panels are bordered along the openedge with black silk braid. The slipper has been lined in pale blue silk. Thesoles are made in black silk fabric with cream stitches to strengthen the soles. Produced in the late-19thcentury, the shoes are reasonable ...condition, some of the blue silk has faded, some of the braid has disintigrated. China has diverse customs andstyles as regards its traditional dress culture, and the abundance and varietyof Chinese footwear justifies its being singled out from other items of apparelto be studied separately as "shoe culture". Footwear is an interestingfacet of the many aspects of Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese distinguished themain items of dress as "upper clothing, " "lower clothing"and "foot clothing, " the latter referring to both shoes and socks. Inancient written Chinese, the character for shoes and socks are the same. TheChinese used to bind the feet of female babies, children and adults todisfigure the feet to keep them as small as possible. Bound feet were a statussymbol, the only way for a woman to marry into money. Legend has it that theorigins of foot binding go back as far as the Shang dynasty (1700-1027 B.C.).The Shang Empress had a clubfoot, so she demanded that foot binding be madecompulsory in the court. Foot binding was eventually banned in 1912. The shoes measure 19cm long, 5.5cm wide, 5.5cm high. This rare and collectible item isin good used antique condition. They will make a wonderful addition to anycollection as well as being a fantastic piece of fabric art, and a greatconversation piece. Please see my pictures for the details of the condition. Thanksfor looking and Happy Bidding! Please ask if you would like me to look at cheaperdelivery services. I am always happy to combine postage, all I ask if you letme know if you are bidding on more than one item within a few days of eachother. I will pack and weigh the items together and get the best possible pricethat I can, sometimes weight or value might dictate that I send multipleparcels to get a better value for you
