Gauntlets

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art