Shoe

This is a 19th century copy of a medieval style of shoe called a poulaine. This type of flat leather shoe with a very long pointed toe was fashionable in the late 1300s and from about 1450-1500. (Compare it with the poulaine seen with this example, Museum no. T111-1918.) Curators at the V&A thought this particular poulaine was an original example when it first joined the collection. We now think it is a very good copy in the 15th century style. It is laced up the sides and has a folded over tab or tongue at the instep. This poulaine was found in the rafters of a house in Toledo, Spain. Some one probably put it there as a sort of talisman to bring good luck to the inhabitants of the house. This practice was widespread, and there are a number of similar finds from England. Sometimes the shoe was placed in a chimney (see Museum no. 692-1897) or under the floorboards. The shoe described is the one you can see at the bottom.