Antique 19thC Chinese SILK LOTUS SHOE For Bound Feet Foot Binding
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:671253 | Region of Origin: Chinese |
| Primary Material: silk | Product: silk lotus shoes |
| Original/Repro: Antique Original | Age: 1800-1849 |
Antique 19th Century ChineseSILK LOTUS SHOE for Bound Feet Foot BindingI bought this shoe some years ago and displayed it in mycabinet of unusual antique items. Somebody has added a pincushion filler togive it a modern use, but that can be easily removed if you wanted to. It is ingreat condition considering its over 100 years old.
The rose pink silk isembroidered and the overall length of the shoe is 5 inches (13cm). It is 2 ¼ inches(5.5cm) wide and 2 ½ (6.5cm) inches high.Lotus ...shoes (lianlu)are footwear that were worn by women in China, in the 19th century, who had bound feet. The shoes are cone or sheath-shaped, intended to resemble alotus bud. They were delicately constructed from cotton or silk, and smallenough to fit in the palm of a hand. Some designs had heels or wedge-shapedsoles. They were made in different styles and colours, and were typicallyornately decorated, with embroidered designs of animals or flowers that couldcontinue on the sole of the shoe. Some designs only fit over the tip of thefoot, giving the illusion of a small bound foot when worn under a long skirt. Thoughfoot binding is no longer practiced, many lotus shoes survive as artefacts in museumsor private collections.
The rose pink silk isembroidered and the overall length of the shoe is 5 inches (13cm). It is 2 ¼ inches(5.5cm) wide and 2 ½ (6.5cm) inches high.Lotus ...shoes (lianlu)are footwear that were worn by women in China, in the 19th century, who had bound feet. The shoes are cone or sheath-shaped, intended to resemble alotus bud. They were delicately constructed from cotton or silk, and smallenough to fit in the palm of a hand. Some designs had heels or wedge-shapedsoles. They were made in different styles and colours, and were typicallyornately decorated, with embroidered designs of animals or flowers that couldcontinue on the sole of the shoe. Some designs only fit over the tip of thefoot, giving the illusion of a small bound foot when worn under a long skirt. Thoughfoot binding is no longer practiced, many lotus shoes survive as artefacts in museumsor private collections.
