#1891 $4,000
Silk damask shoes, c.1770-1785
As the 18th century drew to a close, woven textile designs shifted from the large elaborate patterns of the Rococo to the diminutive flowers and stripes of the Neoclassical. These shoes are a fine example of the elegant but restrained taste of the late 18th century. On the transition from the Rococo period to the Neoclassical, see below.
The uppers of the shoes are fashioned from beige (lighter in hue when new) silk damask woven with a monochromatic pattern of narrow stripes and bouquets of small flowers. Great care was taken in the construction of the shoes to make sure that flowers were placed on each toe.
The shoes are lined with matching linen. The delicate heel, pointed toes, and peaked throat are all style features of the late 18th century. The soles are leather. They have no known provenance.
The Rococo style dominated the decorative arts from 1730 to around 1780. The term derives from the French word rocaille, meaning "shell encrusted." The etymology neatly sums up the predilection for elaborate—at times over elaborate—decoration. The French Revolution caused an immediate reaction against the art of the Ancien Régime.
The Enlightenment (1750 onwards) prepared the way for the replacement of the Rococo by making Classical ideals prestigious. Hence, it was natural to find aesthetic, as well as political, models among the ancient Greeks, who were seen as masters of unity and simplicity. Their art was considered the prototype of just proportions (the Golden Mean) and self-restraint. Thus was born the Neoclassic age (1785-1810).
The condition is very good. There are several splits in the silk around the toes and heels. The splits are stable and the silk is definitely not shattering.
The shoes are 9 1/2" long.
