Pair Chinese Double Luck Lotus Slippers, c. 1850

These dainty, pointed slippers, made of cotton and silk embroidered with pink flowers, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These silk lotus slippers...

These pointed silk slippers, beautifully embroidered with pink plum blossoms, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of b...

These pointed slippers, beautifully embroidered with light blue plum blossoms on black silk, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...

Each of these pointed slippers, crafted of beautifully embroidered silk, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...

Antique Pair of Charogh Ethnic Shoes from Turkey. These collectible Museum Kurdish shoes are known as charoghs and were made in Khorasan province in north western Turkey. Hand-crafte...

A remarkably rare and unusual pair of sancai-glazed slippers dating from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). These were likely created as funerary mingqi—tomb objects made to accompany th...

These Moroccan silk slippers are handmade to perfection the inside sole is crafted of soft leather. These shoes are the traditional Moroccan shoes, all hand made with hand-sewn leather sole. You won't want to take the Moroccan babouches off your feet! Moroccan slippers...

ANTIQUE CHINESE HANDMADE TEXTILE SHOES In the form of stylised animals with faces on the front, probably made for Chinese New Year and representing the symbol from that year, quite ...