Uwagi polemiczne do pracy Marquity Volken „Archaeological Footwear. Development of shoe patterns and styles from Prehistory till the 1600’s”1

Abstract

One of the newest works on shoemaking was written in the Swiss Musee de la Chaussure in Lausanne. The author of the work, Marquita Volken, presented her own original way to organize source materials known mainly from archaeological excavations, but also from iconographic sources and old collections. The system is intended to be used primarily by novice researchers dealing with issues of development of shoemaking in Europe. In essence, the author has achieved her goal – she presented the development of footwear from prehistory to the seventeenth century, therefore this is another attempt to summarize the existing research results. However, the publication by M. Volken, despite the bulk of work involved, especially the careful preparation of the graphic part, contains a number of controversial statements and conclusions. The author attempts to define the styles of footwear, basic pattern templates, as well as the seams and stitches. A discussion on the diversity of footwear’s names and on suggestions as to their unification is a very important part of the work. M. Volken’s suggestions are certainly interesting, but the systematization and periodization model presented by her brings a lot of doubts. In the opinion of the Author, a new method was created, combining styles and pattern templates, reflecting fashion and stylistic and cultural aspects