Shoes with “horse's hoof” heels (mati). The purple silk satin shoes are fully embroidered with polychrome silk. The embroidery on each side depicts some nice skits. In sequence we have: a deer and a monkey, a fisherman intent on catching a fish with his line, a large lotus flower and an animal (perhaps an owl) but with a pink and red colour.
The shoe is equipped with a wooden rise, lined with glued canvas, ending with a heel placed in the center of the sole.
The shoes with raised soles represent a different clothing tradition from the Chinese one. In fact, the practice of foot binding (guojiao) did not exist among Manchu women, while these particular female shoes were used, characterized by a low-cut shoe mounted on a high wooden base, they were also called 'qixie', 'shoes of the flags' , named after the political-administrative divisions of the Qing Manchurian territory. They were used by women of the Manchu nobility to increase their height, already taller than the local average.
In the Museum in 1901-1947. Restoration: Benedictine Abbey 'Mater Ecclesiae', Orta.
