Shoe

ID:

BC72[83]<1989>

Production date:

Late Medieval; late 14th century; 1375-1400

Location:

In Store

Medieval leather shoe, or poulaine, with a pointed toe. Only the front part of the vamp or upper has survived. The ankle/heel section is missing. It is decorated with engraved leaves, surrounded by areas where the top layer of the grain side of the leather has been scraped back, creating a suede-like background effect. There are five clusters of three leaves. Their outlines and internal details have been engraved. There is also an engraved line along the edges of the winding stalk that connects the groups of leaves together. Medieval shoes were made by 'cordwainers' (the word comes from 'cordwain', or 'cordovan', the name for the leather made in Córdoba, Spain). Decorated and pointed shoes like this example would only have been afforded by the wealthy fashion-conscious sections of society. The site of Baynards Castle where this shoe was found was close to the Royal Wardrobe so some of the shoes uncovered there may have royal connections.
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Medieval leather shoe, or poulaine, with a pointed toe. Only the front part of the vamp or upper has survived. The ankle/heel section is missing. It is decorated with engraved leaves, surrounded by areas where the top layer of the grain side of the leather has been scraped back, creating a suede-like background effect. There are five clusters of three leaves. Their outlines and internal details have been engraved. There is also an engraved line along the edges of the winding stalk that connects the groups of leaves together. Medieval shoes were made by 'cordwainers' (the word comes from 'cordwain', or 'cordovan', the name for the leather made in Córdoba, Spain). Decorated and pointed shoes like this example would only have been afforded by the wealthy fashion-conscious sections of society. The site of Baynards Castle where this shoe was found was close to the Royal Wardrobe so some of the shoes uncovered there may have royal connections.

For more information see, Grew, F. & de Neergaard, M. (1988, reprinted 2006), Shoes and Pattens, pg. 34, 86, 129, figs. 48, 121a < Hide

Measurements

L 238 mm; W 90 mm; H 60 mm (overall)

Materials

leather

Last Updated

2024-03-14