Some Examples of Eighteenth Century Pontifical Sandals

In an earlier article here on LAJ we detailed the history of the pontifical sandal, a liturgical shoe that has been worn since ancient times in varying forms. In that article we detailed how it originally took the form of a sandal proper with a stocking worn underneath and by modern times had developed into something akin to a man's low heeled shoe -- similar to a dress shoe but in the liturgical colour of the day.

Sitting in between that, however, are other variations which are tied to the styles of particular times, and recently a few 18th century examples came to light that I thought would be of interest to document here for our readers knowledge and awareness. Some of these examples will be more familiar, while others will be less so, but all of them seem tied to the stylistic variances of the 18th century which could be found in men's shoes generally.

18th century Cardinal's pontifical sandal from Bologna.
Source: BeWeb

Now this first example above should look reasonably familiar, at least from this angle, however others show the more distinctive shapes of other, probably earlier 18th century forms of mens shoes:

Photo Source: Bawer

Photo Source: BeWeb

Photo Source: BeWeb

Finally, while we are on the subject, here are just few more examples coming from the 18th century all of which will look much more familiar to the modern eye:

Pugilia, First half of the 18th century.
Source: BeWeb

Second half of the 18th century.
Photo Source: BeWeb

18th century Cardinal's pontifical sandal from Bologna.
Source: BeWeb

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An example of the non-liturgical, outdoor shoes of a pope in the 18th century. You will note the similarity in the cut and style to some of those shown above.