Gauntlets

Unknown

1690–1710 · leather, silk, metal · Costume Institute

Expensive and ornate, men's gloves form this period were signifiers of wealth and status and, as such, were often given as presentation objects. The multiplicity of expensive materials used here - metallics upon metallics, laces and velvets- and the use of colors - royal blue suede, burgundy velvet and the gold and silver - exemplify the opulence that was part of British protocol when England was a preeminent force on the world stage.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1690–1710

Medium

leather, silk, metal

Culture

British

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Museum Expedition 1921, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 1921