Label for the exhibition Shoes: Pleasure and Pain
Fit for a King
The Museum acquired these shoes in Lucknow, India, in 1855. Their rich embellishment suggests that they might have belonged to the ruler of the Awadh region. The elaborate decoration includes hundreds of sequins. It features a variety of embroidery techniques using twisted and coiled gilded silver and silver wires, as well as large gilded silver tassels. The courtly tradition of finely embellished shoes eventually spread to a wider market.
Men’s mojari
1800–55
India
Leather, cotton, silk, silver and gilded silver thread embroidery
Possibly owned by the Nawab of Awadh
V&A: 0515&A(IS) [2015-2016]