This is pair of “Kasut Manek”, the literal meaning being “beaded shoes”. As the piece comes with low heels, it is also known as “Kasut Tumit”. The shape of the slipper face suggests that it is worn by the men. It is covered with bead embroidery or threading. This is a technique where coloured seed beads are stitched onto a base fabric using needle and thread. More specifically, petit point beadwork is used here. The needle worker uses coloured beads to stitch out patterns drawn onto square paper. Such bead embroidery was usually done on velvet or plain weave cotton and required the use of a frame or ‘pidangan’. The seed beads used here could be “Rocaille beads” or beads made of coloured glass. These are usually spheroidal in shape which also means that they are compressed at the sides. The main decorative motif is a brown dog in a seated position. Two fishes facing each other rest at the feet of the animal. This is set against a grid like background made up of yellow lines and the spaces filled with light blue glass seed beads. The dog motif suggests a European influence on the design of this piece.
