Shoe prototype

ca. 1939

Not on view

This unique and sculptural shoe heel is believed to come from a group of over seventy-five shoe prototypes designed in Paris in 1939 by Steven Arpad. Aside from the lines of leather accessories and jewelry he produced under his own name in the 1940s, Arpad seems to have worked mostly anonymously. The prototypes are accompanied by an extensive archive of original sketches which has made it possible to identify uncredited shoe designs for Balenciaga and Delman as Arpad's work. Arpad's designs usually feature very thoughtful integration of all the elements, so although the design of the upper that went with this heel has not been identified, one would expect it to include similar scrolling or classicizing elements.

Artwork Details

Overview

Title: Shoe prototype
Designer: Steven Arpad (French, 1904–1999)
Date: ca. 1939
Culture: French
Medium: metal
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Brooklyn Museum Collection
Object Number: 2009.300.3403
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

By Steven Arpad

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Model No. 158, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 158
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 139, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 139
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. AV, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. AV
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 249, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 249
Steven Arpad
1939

Model No. 499, Steven Arpad French, leather, wood, French — Model No. 499
Steven Arpad
1939

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