Two pairs of Roman bronze soles for safety shoes
Price: on request
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Object number
AR3400A63
| Object: |
Two pairs of Roman bronze sheets as soles for protective shoes
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| Material: |
Bronze.
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| Period: |
1st to 4th century AD. Roman period. |
| Description: |
Four thick bronze sheets hammered into the shape of a shoe bed, fitting the rear 2/3 of a full grown foot. The edge is bent up and thus encloses the heel, flat towards the forefoot. Two of the bronze plates also have a wide ridge that extends up the leg to cover the ankle. All pieces have holes around the edges so that the metal sheets could be attached by sewing or riveting. This type of object is very unusual. We have not come across anything comparable in the art trade or in archaeological literature. The classification as Roman is out of the question, due to the origin from the well-documented Voigtmann collection, together with the type of manufacture that matches the assumption. The function, on the other hand, is mysterious and invites speculation. We would like to thank Mr. Guido Pohl for the exchange in this regard. Our conclusion is that it is most likely a reinforced sole for a safety shoe, comparable to modern steel toe cap shoes for work on a construction site. It is possible that not only the rear part of the sole but also other parts of the shoe were reinforced. The only distant parallel (see references below) is from ancient Greece and a pair of bronze soles for women shoes that served as a fashion statement rather than a practical purpose. The similar design, matching size and the left and right footedness of the ridge over the ankles suggest that these are two pairs that belong together. |
| Background: |
The finds from the Voigtmann collection (cf. detailed description below) were recovered in fragmentary form. Some of these fragments have never been restored and are still in fragments today. Some of them are singulated sherds, some belong together and are from partially preserved larger vessels. Mr. Voigtmann had already begun to attribute individual sherds typologically and in some cases noted the find spots of the pieces on stickers. Groups of sherds are often used in archaeological seminars as the basis for an identification exercise. They are also well suited for broader educational purposes, as archaeological objects to look at and touch. Last but not least, for collectors with a strong academic interest in Rhineland archeology or for collectors on a small budget, the Voigtmann sherds from Neuss are a great source. We hope that we can place the finds in good and appreciative hands. For this purpose we have formed small packages and kept related finds together. |
| Dimensions: |
Two pieces 19cm long, the two pieces with a ridge 17cm and 18cm long. All pieces approximately 10cm wide. The two pieces with a ridge 13cm to 14cm high.
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| Condition: |
Near perfect condition. The massive bronze sheets are still intact, except for one piece with a stable or stabilized crack and piece with the ridge bent back to the original position in modern times. Nice and strong patina.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2021 from the German family estate Voigtmann. The founder of the collection, Mr. Heinz Voigtmann, carried out excavations himself between 1966 and 1981, in cooperation with local archaeologists. The artefacts offered here come from his finds near Neuss, Germany, the former Roman city of Novaesium. The Voigtmann Collection is a private collection built with passion and expertise. It included objects from the Roman Imperial period, as well as isolated objects from the Middle Ages, above all everyday pottery, but also glasses, bronzes and works of ivory. All come from the Roman city of Novaesium and its immediate vicinity. Mr. Voigtmann himself conducted excavations and recovered the objects for which the local archaeologists had no research capacities and which without him would have been lost forever. He shared his finds with the world of academia. He was in constant contact with the archaeologists Dr. Gustav Mueller, Dr. Ernst Kuenzl and Dr. Dorothea Haupt from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, as well as with Prof. Dr. Hilmar von Platen from the University of Mainz. The Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, for example, mentions the Voigtmann Collection among its new accessions from 1971. With his academic contacts and his skill as a restorer, Mr. Voigtmann devoted himself to the detailed restoration and reconstruction of the artefacts and even the sherds in his collection. This service for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the city of Neuss is unique and would not have been feasible with this effort, neither in research nor in the art market. We have the utmost respect for this life's work and have intensively curated and digitized the collection in order to preserve the provenance information and academic notes handed down for posterity in the long term. Novaesium was an early Roman foundation in the province of Germania inferior, making it one of the oldest cities in Germany. The place of its founding was certainly inhabited before the Romans and was strategically well located for holding Gaul. It was at the end of a Roman long distance road and close to the Rhine, Erft, Lippe, Ruhr and Wupper waterways. Traders settled and permanently stationed soldiers secured the junction and the nearby Limes. No wonder that today's Neuss is rich in archaeological finds, legacies from the Roman legions, as well as commercial goods and household goods from the Roman civilian population. The Voigtmann Collection forms a perfect cross-section of Roman Novaesian through the exclusively local finds and the specialization on the first centuries AD. |
| References: |
The only other example of ancient bronze shoe soles known to us is, but of a different type, is in the Athens National Archaeological Museum, Collection of Metalwork, inv. no. X8414.
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| Literature: |
From the extensive literature on Roman Neuss, we would like to refer to one more general book and one exemplary description of an excavation. Both were written by local archaeologists who were friends of Mr. Voigtmann. H. Chantraine, Dr. G. Mueller, Das roemische Neuss (Stuttgart 1984). D. Haupt, Die Kleinfunde eines roemischen Landhauses aus Neuss-Weckhoven, in Beitraege zur Archaeologie des roemischen Rheinlandes, Rheinische Ausgrabungen 3 (1968). |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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