leather

Skarpinia (shoes) are very elegantly and delicately made. Handmade, with heels and pointed toes, they are of soft black leather. 

ΜΓ184

Pair of man’s hobnailed peasant boots made of thick leather, outer side dyed black.

The boots are knee-high and heavy, without distinction of left and right foot.

Each boot consists of three pieces in the lower part, one at front, one on the side externally and one at the rear that covers the heel of the foot and extends sideways. Above the promouttin (nose), namely the front section, there is a tongue made of a separate piece of leather. The shaft consists of two sections joined vertically on the sides. All the different pieces have been sewn together with thick string. On either side of the joints holding together the two shaft sections, there is machine stitching. At the top of the boots, the leather is turned outwards (height: 3 cm), forming a tongue at front (height: 6 cm). On one boot, in the upper part, there is sewing with string, evidently for mending torn leather.

The soles consist of superposed sole leathers, more numerous at the rear where low heels are formed. Large, flat-headed iron nails called rizes (=roots), have been inserted into the soles all around, while a row of round-headed hobnails extends to the centre. A total of 24 rizes and 6 hobnails survive in one boot, with 25 rizes and 9 hobnails in the other. Along the joint of the leather to the sole, small metallic nails (spondilia) have been inserted. The wide heads of the rizes are turned upwards, covering the rim of the sole.

A decorative element, namely an interlaced curvilinear pattern made with fine machine stitches, is discerned all around the bottom section of one boot. Curvilinear machine stitching is discerned in the front section of the other boot.

The boots are worn from use. Even the black dye, that used to cover the entire outer surface, has faded.

As opposed to cordwainer’s boots (skarparisimes podines, see ΜΓ 55, ΧΑΜ) the less elaborate but more resilient hobnailed peasant boots were made by tsagkari(d)es, namely specialised bootmakers, without distinction of left and right foot, for use by farmers and shepherds. Normally, the leather used for hobnailed peasant boots came from the hide of a two-year-old male goat (dietis).

Boot height: 44-45 cm.

Sole length: 27.5 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 2.9.1979

Provenance: Theletra, Pafos – Purchase by Nikolaos Stylianou.

[ΜΓ 55]

Pair of man’s knee-high leather boots.

The lower part consists of two pieces. The front piece (promouttin) has a rounded toe box and extends to a tongue at the instep. It is joined at the sides to the back piece, covering the heel of the foot. A third piece forms the shaft, reaching below the knee. The different pieces have been joined with rows of machine stitches. Βrown leather lining, discerned on the inside, is also sewn with machine stitches. At the back of the shaft there is a backstay, namely an additional sewn-on vertical strip, joined to the protruding tongue of the back piece that covers the heel of the foot. On the inside of the backstay, the joint of the single piece that forms the shaft is discernible, made with a handmade seam of parallel thick-thread stitches. This joint is framed by double machine stitching, intended to secure the added backstay. At the upper part of the boots, around the edge, there is a small hem, sewn with machine stitches. Below the middle of the shaft there are two parallel horizonal decorative bands, also of machine stitches. Near the upper part of the boots two opposite-facing pull straps are made of wide black textile bands, with single brown stripes along their edges.

The sole, normally made of ox hide, is thick, comprising two layers of leather and slightly protruding all around. Machine stitches are visible along the welt. The low heel, 1.9 cm tall, is built with three superposed layers of leather and rests on a separate cap, secured with a double row of small nails (spondilia).

This is a pair of well-made Frankish boots (Frankopodines) crafted by a cordwainer (skarparis). Cordwainer boots were normally worn in the urban centres and the countryside on official and festive occasions.

Boot height: 41 cm.

Sole length: 29 cm.

Date of entry to the Collection: 14.9.1949

Provenance: Ktima, Pafos.