Slippers
Ladies and gentlemen at the French court in the time of Louise XIV were required to wear red leather heels – les talons rouges. The fashion soon spread to the major courts of Europe, where it was followed until the end of the eighteenth century. It is rare to find a surviving pair of shoes of this quality. Most such footwear must have been worn out and discarded; court life consisted of endless standing, since the right to sit down was rigidly governed by etiquette.
Artwork Details
- Title: Slippers
- Date: 1720–39
- Culture: French
- Medium: leather, silk
- Credit Line: Gift of Miss Agnes Clarke, 1938
- Object Number: C.I.38.76.5a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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French
1690–1700
probably French
ca. 1730
French
1774–92
French
early 1620s
French
1750–75
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