These are just totally delightful little antique Chinese shoes or slippers.
They date to the early 20th Century - probably the 1920s.
They have never been worn and are in pristine condition.
Looks like they have been stored in their original box for 100 years - sadly, the box has been made of a cheaper strawboard type of material - with decorative Chinese papers applied - and there is also the original label on the box - sadly, my Chinese is not up to me translating the text - but have photographed the old label for your inspection.
As you can see over such a long period, the box has disintegrated and it now in quite a poor condition and falling apart - but for historical reference - I have kept a hold of the original box.
However, the shoes or slippers are in an excellent antique condition - there is no signs of them being worn or any wear to them. They are the sweetest wee things - the overall length is slipper is 23 cm (9 1/4 inches) - they are very narrow in width as you might expect with Oriental shoes.
The inside is a rough beige silk or soft cotton - which a little thin padding to the sole area inside. Nice and clean with no signs of every been on any feet.
The exterior is made of embroidered silk - in shades of Royal Blue and Turquoise. Love the wee panels running along the sides which has little embroidered birds in pink blossoms - lots of Chinese shapes and floral patterns. Pink silk edging around the tops.
Love the soles too - which are made of embossed tan leather - above the leather sole, there seem to be layers of cotton which a clear resin coating on it - and a thin blue applied band where it meets the main shoe area. The soles are rigid and do not bend - so you might have to shuffle a little bit when wearing them - which suggests that they might have a ceremonial purpose - and are shoes or slippers to be worn perhaps by a bride at a wedding.
The toe of the upper shoe section - pokes out over the end of the sole area - so designed that your toe would never touch the ground.
Taken lots of images from a variety of angles for your inspection.
Probably for the more specialist collector of such items - I don't think that they would be for normal or daily wear.
I will have to post these in a slightly larger sized box with the Royal Mail to keep the original box from getting any worse - so this would pop up your postage very slightly.
HAPPY TO POST INTERNATIONALLY, PLEASE ASK FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE OUTSIDE OF THE UK.
They date to the early 20th Century - probably the 1920s.
They have never been worn and are in pristine condition.
Looks like they have been stored in their original box for 100 years - sadly, the box has been made of a cheaper strawboard type of material - with decorative Chinese papers applied - and there is also the original label on the box - sadly, my Chinese is not up to me translating the text - but have photographed the old label for your inspection.
As you can see over such a long period, the box has disintegrated and it now in quite a poor condition and falling apart - but for historical reference - I have kept a hold of the original box.
However, the shoes or slippers are in an excellent antique condition - there is no signs of them being worn or any wear to them. They are the sweetest wee things - the overall length is slipper is 23 cm (9 1/4 inches) - they are very narrow in width as you might expect with Oriental shoes.
The inside is a rough beige silk or soft cotton - which a little thin padding to the sole area inside. Nice and clean with no signs of every been on any feet.
The exterior is made of embroidered silk - in shades of Royal Blue and Turquoise. Love the wee panels running along the sides which has little embroidered birds in pink blossoms - lots of Chinese shapes and floral patterns. Pink silk edging around the tops.
Love the soles too - which are made of embossed tan leather - above the leather sole, there seem to be layers of cotton which a clear resin coating on it - and a thin blue applied band where it meets the main shoe area. The soles are rigid and do not bend - so you might have to shuffle a little bit when wearing them - which suggests that they might have a ceremonial purpose - and are shoes or slippers to be worn perhaps by a bride at a wedding.
The toe of the upper shoe section - pokes out over the end of the sole area - so designed that your toe would never touch the ground.
Taken lots of images from a variety of angles for your inspection.
Probably for the more specialist collector of such items - I don't think that they would be for normal or daily wear.
I will have to post these in a slightly larger sized box with the Royal Mail to keep the original box from getting any worse - so this would pop up your postage very slightly.
HAPPY TO POST INTERNATIONALLY, PLEASE ASK FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE OUTSIDE OF THE UK.