Woman’s shoe
Henri III period, France, 16th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
The shoe has been used from the bottom to the top of the social ladder, by all the individuals of any given group, from group to group, by the entire world.
It seems that man has always instinctively covered his feet to get about, although there remains no concrete evidence of the shoes themselves.
Woman’s shoe
Italy, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
Prehistoric shoes would have been rough in design and certainly utilitarian in function. The materials were chosen primarily for their ability to shield the feet from severe conditions. It was only in Antiquity that the shoe would acquire an aesthetic and decorative dimension, becoming a true indicator of social status.
Musketeer boot
France, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
From the first great civilizations flourishing in Mesopotamia and Egypt in the 4th millennium BC arose also the three basic types of footwear: the shoe, the boot, and the sandal. An archeological team excavating a temple in the city of Brak (Syria) in 1938 unearthed a clay shoe with a raised toe dating over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ.
Woman’s shoe in blue leather with decoration embroidered in silver
Italy, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans, deposit of the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris
The raised-toe form is attributable to the rugged terrain of the mountain conquerors that introduced it. After its adoption by the Akkadian kingdom, the form spread to Middle East where the Hittites made it a part of their national costume. It is frequently depicted in bas-reliefs, such as the Yazilikaya sanctuary carvings dating to 1275 BC. Seafaring Phoenicians helped spread the pointed shoe to Cyprus, Mycenae, and Crete, where it appears on palace frescoes.
Woman’s shoe with its protective clog
Louis XIV period, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans, deposit of the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris
The Mesopotamian empire of Assyria dominated the ancient east from the 9th to the 7th century BC and erected monuments whose sculptures depict the sandal and the boot. Their sandal is a simplified shoe composed of a sole and straps. Their boot is tall, covering the leg; a type of footwear associated with horsemen.
Woman’s shoe in damask embroidered with threads of gold and silver
Louis XIV period, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
Deposit of the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris
The Persian dynasty, founded by Cyrus the Great II around 550 BC, gradually established a homogeneous culture in the ancient east. Processional bas-reliefs carved by sculptors of the Achaemenidian kings offer a documentary record of the period’s costume and footwear. In addition to images of boots, there are shoes made of supple materials and of leather shown completely covering the foot and closing at the ankle with laces.
Rider’s boot Steel-Tipped, claw heel
Persia, 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
For a deeper understanding of how the shoe evolved from its origins to the present day, it is important to look at ancient civilizations in their historical context.
As in Egypt, the most popular shoe in Greece was the sandal. The Homeric heroes of The Iliad and The Odyssey wear sandals with bronze soles, while the gods wear sandals made of gold.
Shoe belonging to Henri II de Montmorency
France, 17th century
Leather decorated with a fleur-de-lis on the vamp
Initials of the duke on the flap
International Shoe Museum, Romans, deposit of the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris
Agamemnon, legendary king of Mycenae, protected his legs with the help of leg armor fastened with silver hooks.
Rome was the direct heir to Greek civilization and felt its influence in the area of footwear: Roman shoes are mainly imitations of Greek models.
Postilion’s boot also called, “seven league boot”
Weight: 4.5 kg. France, end of the 17th century
International Shoe Museum, Romans
Byzantine civilization extended from the 5th to the 15th century, producing throughout this period a wealth of crimson leather shoes trimmed in gold reminiscent of embroidered Persian-style boots, as well as the Roman soccus and mulleus.
Byzantine mules and slippers were objects of luxury and refinement initially reserved for the Emperor and his court.
Shoe of the Marchioness of Pompadour (1721–1764)
International Shoe Museum, Romans, deposit of the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris
Crimson or gold slippers were worn in the eastern Mediterranean basin, in particular in the area around Alexandria and in the Nile valley. Excavations at Achmin have yielded many examples that belonged to women. The arrival of Christian shoemakers in this region revived the craft of shoemaking, as Christian symbols were added to the geometric decorative tradition.
Woman’s mule
France, c. 1789
Guillen Collection, International Shoe Museum, Romans
A silver sandal discovered in an Egyptian tomb and now in the collection of the Bally Museum is a good example. Dating to the 6th century AD, it is embellished with the image of a dove symbolizing Christ.
As the Middle Ages dawned in the West, footwear remained under the influence of ancient Roman models. The Franks wore shoes equipped with straps that rose to mid-thigh height. Only their leaders wore shoes with pointed tips.
Shoe of Marie-Antoinette collected on the 10th August 1792
Carnavalet Museum, Paris
Thanks to the extraordinary degree of preservation of certain burials, we have an idea of what Merovingian shoes looked like. The tomb of Queen Arégonde, wife of King Clotaire I (497–561), discovered at Saint-Denis has enabled us to reconstruct an image of