18th century

Hand-Warmer in the Shape of a Shoe

This unusual object (called a scaldamani in Italian) belongs to a type of hollow ceramic vessel that is filled with hot water from an opening on the back to warm the object (and its holder). Some scholars suggest these objects were instead used as liquor flasks, an alternative means to gain some warmth in a cold interior. Ceramic artists in Italy produced these vessels in various shapes, including in the shape of shoes, boots, and books. A shoe featuring a buckle or tie straps is called a latchet shoe, and was a type worn by both men and women. The style came into fashion in the early 1600s through the 1700s, and this ceramic imitation includes carefully rendered details, like the slashed leather depicted on the shoe upper and a bias-cut stocking visible through the hole on the foot arch.