Venice, Italy: San Marco: Royal Palace of Venice: Correr Museum: Shoes
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Authors
Sheppard, Beth M.
Issue Date
May 24, 2017
Type
Image
Language
Keywords
Italy , Venice , Venezia , San Marco , Piazza di San Marco , Royal Palace of Venice , Palazzo Reale di Venezia , Correr Museum , Museo Correr , Teodoro Correr , Procuratorie Nuove , Venetian Shoes , Chopine , Pianelles , Slippers , Wedge Shoes , Calcagnetti , High Heels , Stilt Shoes , Venetian Women , Ostentation in Fashion
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Abstract
Description
Multiple photos are associated with this record. Please click the links to view all of the items in the series. The photos were taken in the Royal Palace of Venice (in Italian: Il Palazzo Reale) in the San Marco district on the island of Venice, Italy. Venice (Venezia) is a city in northeastern Italy that is built on a group of 126 islands separated by open water and canals, linked through 472 bridges. The historical island city is home to only 51K people, but a very popular tourist destination with about 60K tourists per day. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is renowned for its beauty, architecture, and artwork. The landmark of St. Mark's Square (Piazza di San Marco) is the basilica dedicated to Saint Mark the Evangelist and contains his relics. The church is sited on the eastern end of the square, the former center of the Republic of Venice, and is attached to the Doge's Palace. There are other important landmarks around this square, such as the Royal Palace of Venice, which is a complex that consists of the Marciana Library, the Archaeological Museum, and the Correr Museum. These photos are of the Correr Museum (Museo Correr), which is located in the Procuratorie Nuove building. The museum's items originated with Teodoro Correr, a passionate collector who bequeathed his collection to the city of Venice in 1830. These are shoes called "chopine" that Venetian women wore between the 15th and 17th centuries. They are a type of slipper (pianelle) with extremely tall wedge heels and were known in Italy as calcagnetti. The shoes were originally worn to protect the hems of dresses from floods and mud, but in Venice it became a form of ostentation, identifying the social class of the wearer: the higher the wedge, the more important the lady; more fabric was needed to lengthen the skirt and therefore advertised their wealth.
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License
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0