One of my favorite accessories in Lucas Cranach the Elder and Younger’s portraits of the Saxon court ladies is their slashed white leather gloves. When I was working on a Judith Victorious Painting Cosplay this summer, I fell in love with the elaborate gloves featured in it and have always wanted to recreate that look.
I’m not a leatherworker, but a while back I picked up a couple of pairs of unlined white leather gloves from “The Evil Empire.” They aren’t historically accurate; they have some outward seams and darts. However, I figured they’d make a good prototype, and they were much cheaper than better-cut gloves.
I decided to take a chance and try slashing them. The project turned out surprisingly well! Now that I’ve learned a few things from the process, I plan to find a better-quality pair with a more appropriate cut and style for slashing, and recreate the look more authentically.
Testing and Planning
I started by marking up one pair of gloves to test slash placement and size. My first attempt using scissors didn’t go well; they didn’t give me clean or precise cuts. Next, I tried using flat-blade X-Acto knives, and that worked much better. The ½-inch and ⅝-inch blades gave the best results.
I discovered that the most effective technique was to press the blade straight down, almost like using a leather stamp. This produced much cleaner slashes compared to dragging the blade across the leather. I used a large tongue depressor and a dowel to support the leather fingers while stamping the slash into the glove.
I planned out the slash layout and decided where I wanted the open slashed sections (to let rings peek through) and where to keep them closed for a more structured look. I chose not to put ring sections on the middle fingers, similar to the painting.
Slashing the Gloves
With the slashes all figured out and the placement of each section settled on, I started with the next pair of gloves (version 2). I marked out slashed sections on each finger, two fingers at a time, using a mechanical pencil. I went with narrowly spaced shashes, about 2-3 millimeters apart. I stamped the slashes into the leather gloves using the X-Acto knife braced over the tongue depressor and dowel. For the open sections, I cut the alternating slashes to create open areas using scissors. I kinda messed up on the first pinkie, but I sorted it out. I continued working in sections for the rest of the glove, testing the fit and layout as I went.
I continued on in this manner until the first (Left Hand) was finished. Then I used it as a template for the Right.
These gloves were also a little too long on the wrist. I went ahead and cut them down a bit and machine-sewed the edges. I then used a soapy rag and washed off the pencil marks.
The Finished Look
I am delighted with the second version prototype I created. I plan to wear the gloves a couple of times, test them out, and determine improvements and work out any remaining bugs. Additionally, I will purchase some more period-appropriate gloves for this application. I will add a seciton below when I do.
