It seems to have been a point of honour amongst tapestry weavers that no two characters in a work should wear identical shoes. Maybe it was a means of demonstrating their skill, but the range of footwear in 16th century tapestries is simply astonishing (and presumably reflects the tremendous range of fashionable and practical footwear available in real life). It may also be a device to help identify characters if they are repeated in the tapestry in order to tell the story.
These two photos are details of the same tapestry, hanging in the Chateau of Langeais. Above we have two guards in full plate armour -- except for their footwear. One is wearing comfy suede short boots, the other is wearing pattens and slashed leather socks. Below, a man adjusts what looks like a leather above the knee over-boot, fastened by buttons and loops up the outside seam.
Whenever I see tapestries like these one of the first things I check out is the range of foot and leg wear on show. Good for hours of enjoyment and fascination.
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2 comments:
Ha interesting...I had never noticed the footwear in tapestries before...
Footwear and dogs are the two things I check out first.
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