French Wooden Box

Extant footwear from the early 17th century is very rare, but depictions of shoe are more easily found and offer insight into footwear fashion. This carved wooden box dated 1621 depicts an early heeled shoe with a low, leather-covered heel similar to Persian examples. In addition to the low-heeled shoe, the decoration on the box also includes depictions of shoemaking tools suggesting that it was made for a shoemaker’s guild. Collection of Bata Shoe Museum.