Deborah Doherty museum visit

CHOPINE'S

The Chopines (a type of woman’s platform shoes) are ancient foot ware which date back
to the 1400’s. These high platform shoes came into fashion in Venice, Italy in the
sixteenth century. The chopines have an unusual yet exquisite look. At the first glance of
the chopines on exhibit, they looked rather spooky with a mask shaped face and a body
with feet. It looked similar to a face of a turtle or perhaps a dinosaur. The chopines,
featured at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, have a face-like front with what looks
to be two big, square shaped, black eyes and a smaller oval, pointed shaped, black nose,
a raised, wide fore-head, a raised, smooth black body and two wide, sloped, oval feet.
Made of leather, silk, and wood these awkward yet practical shoes served to protect
women’s feet from getting wet or dirty on the unpaved or muddy streets. These beautiful
shoes also proved to signal a woman’s elevated social status, just as expensive jewelry
and clothing would. The light beige color, decorated with stamped and pierced designs,
are elegant to the eye. The small pierced designs on the shoes look to have been a very
difficult task for the sculpture. The minute holes in the design, while it is not known as to
the tool used, had to be a monotonous, time consuming experience for the maker. The
double-horizontal lines which enhance the round circles of pattern across the shoes are
the focal point of the design. The vertical lines which flow down, with pin-hole shapes,
slope into a triangular fashion to form another magnificent design of the shoe to which
the eye is focused. To accomplish these spectacular shapes and designs with the use of
leather as the material, one could only imagine the extreme difficulty in the task. These
thick-soled, open-backed, raised shoes, sometimes as much as twenty inches high, were
also worn by courtesans in the 1600’s to establish a highly visible public profile. The
chopines featured curved heels, constructed of cork and covered with red-dyed leather
or fabric. The soles were made of wood, called pattens, which were attached to the
bottom of fragile and expensive shoes. The height of the platforms made it almost
impossible for the wearer to stand on their own; they were generally accompanied by an
attendant for assistance. Chopines were usually put on with the help of two servants.
Due to the height, shape, and awkwardness of the shoes, women only wore them to go
out in public. They also caused poor health to the feet, ankles, and lower legs of the
majority of women who wore them. The shoes are three-dimensional sculptures in the
round, which are volumetric in shape, and smooth to the touch. The beauty of the
chopines is enhanced as the reflections of the light gleam on the small pompoms of silk
floss. It was intriguing to learn that high-heeled shoes existed so long ago. Upon
examining the chopines, they are very similar to some high-heeled shoes of today. The
inventors of the chopines paved the way for the high-heeled boots and shoes today. I’m
thankful for the inventors because of them many women today, including myself, get to
enjoy their so called “hoochie mama” leather boots and high-heeled shoes.