17th Century Gloves
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of three pairs and two individual seventeenth-century gloves dating from 1600 to 1700. The majority were collected by Sir William Burrell (1861–1958), including a significant falconry glove that belonged to James VI of Scots and I of England (1566–1625).
Gloves were important accessories for both men and women. Their manufacture was a skilled trade, with the Worshipful Company of Glovers established by London glove makers in 1349. Although the Glovers were amalgamated with Pursers in 1498, they regained their independence by grant of Royal Charter from Charles I (1600–49) in 1638. Most gloves were made from fine kid leather that would have been expertly tanned and dressed. Gloves were not only practical keeping hands clean and warm, they were also an easy way of showing the wearers’ wealth and social status. An elaborately decorated pair of gloves signified that the wearer was rich with ample servants to look after their person and household.
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