4 thoughts on “Lesson #1: Late 16th C. Venetian Chopines (Cork)”

  1. Hello! I would love to include a pdf of your work as a download on my website. Acrobat automatically inserts the url reference at the top of each page. Would you give me permission to use this?

    Also…can I commission pantofles or chopines from you (or Both???).

    -G

    1. I think as long as you’re not claiming the research as entirely your own, that would be just fine =) Regarding the commission, I will drop you a note directly. Thanks for the comment!

  2. I’m interested in Venetian footwear for myself and am curious as to why the choice of cork over timber. My experiences with modern footwear using cork is that it tends to be too soft and quickly becomes unsafe for my ankles because of it’s wobbly softness as a material.

    1. Hi Mirm – for taller Venetian chopines, timber seems to have been the rule of thumb. The Venetian examples tend to have more extreme curves and architecture that cork simply cannot support. The chopines in Lesson 1 were constructed of cork due to the ease of carving with power sanders and such, but Lesson 2 chopines are, indeed, made of timber. Another thing to consider is that pantoufles (shorter wedges, ~2″ max) were constructed of either material, and I have seen evidence for both, since there are no extreme curves required.

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