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Lot Essay
The fact that these two shoes are molded with a left and right buckle indicates that they were intended as a true pair. As shoes were considered symbols of good luck and often given as a token of affection, the initials and date inscribed on the soles of the present pair indicate that it may have been commissioned as a betrothal or wedding gift. Other examples have also been found preserved in the chimneys of old houses. As is still true of a lucky horseshoe hung above a stable door, delft shoes appear to have been traditionally thought to have similar mystical properties.
For a very similar example inscribed K::B and dated 1710, see J. Horne, 'A Collection of Early English Pottery', part II, no. 35. Also see L.L. Lipski and M. Archer, Dated English Delftware, London, 1984 , p. 409-415, no. 1704-1738 for a chronology of English delft shoe fashion in the mid-17th to mid-18th century including the present example. Dated examples are known as early as 1654 and as late as 1768.
For a very similar example inscribed K::B and dated 1710, see J. Horne, 'A Collection of Early English Pottery', part II, no. 35. Also see L.L. Lipski and M. Archer, Dated English Delftware, London, 1984 , p. 409-415, no. 1704-1738 for a chronology of English delft shoe fashion in the mid-17th to mid-18th century including the present example. Dated examples are known as early as 1654 and as late as 1768.