History in the palm of your hand! How were the gloves made?
Gloves are a piece of clothing that, despite the change of fashion, is invariably used in our daily life. Currently, they have rather practical functions – they protect against cold, germs and injuries. They used to be one of the most coveted items of clothing. Not only did they protect the alabaster skin of the ladies and add elegance to the gentlemen, they also served for discreet communication and provoked duels. Further in the blog "Antina Anta - my view"
Although legend has it that the gloves were a gift of Grace to the goddess Venus, who fell in the forest and injured her hands, the truth is somewhat different. It is said that the first gloves were created by barbarians who wanted to protect their hands from damage during combat. The gloves were made of thick leather and at first resembled pouches with ties that tightened them around the wrist. Only later did a place for the thumb appear, which made it easier to grab. Often, additional layers of leather, thick straps arranged in a dense mesh, or metal elements were sewn on top of the gloves. Over time, a slightly thinner form of gloves began to be used during horseback riding, agricultural work, archery and falconry.
In ancient Egypt, gloves were sewn from fabrics, richly embroidered, and they were used mainly by athletes. Women, on the contrary, used gloves during meals to avoid getting their hands dirty. In Asia, gloves were used for self-care. As you know, Asian women, especially Chinese, Korean and Japanese women, are famous for their love of beautiful skin and really are the unsurpassed ideal of women from other regions of the world in caring for it. Therefore, gloves in Asia were used both to protect delicate skin and to care for it. Women used thin gloves during the day to protect their skin, and at night they put a mask of lemon fat and lemon juice on their hands, which was then secured with gloves.