Stuk leer, vermoedelijk in de vorm van een nog niet opgemaakte voorschoen c. 1590 - 1596

Editor: This object, entitled "Stuk leer, vermoedelijk in de vorm van een nog niet opgemaakte voorschoen"—or "Piece of leather, presumably in the shape of an unmade front shoe"—is dated to around 1590-1596, and resides here at the Rijksmuseum. It appears to be made of treated wood. It’s…surprisingly captivating for a scrap of leather. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a fragmented narrative, a ghost of utility. The form itself, while seemingly simple, whispers of the craft and care embedded in even the most mundane objects of daily life centuries ago. It is suggestive, not declarative, offering itself up to many potential stories. Can you sense the cultural memory held within this shape? Editor: Cultural memory? That sounds intriguing. I guess I was focused on the texture and shape more than anything else. I was thinking about how different shoes were back then. Curator: Exactly! The shoe, throughout history, hasn't merely been a practical object. It’s a potent symbol. Consider the power associated with shoes in various cultures, from Cinderella’s slipper to the act of walking in another's shoes to gain empathy. Even the act of leaving shoes outside a sacred space. Does this fragment evoke any of that for you? Editor: Now that you mention it, there is something evocative about a shoe… especially one that never got finished. It makes you wonder about the person who would have worn it and what their life was like. Almost like an incomplete story, right? Curator: Precisely. The unfinished nature heightens its symbolic power. It invites us to complete the narrative, to project our own understanding of the past onto this object. We fill the void and walk in their shoes. Editor: This has made me think of this humble shoe in a new light, like it holds so many other stories just waiting to be uncovered. Thanks for your insight! Curator: My pleasure. It's amazing how even the simplest object can unlock such rich layers of meaning.