(The shoes) were made by Yanturni, the East Indian curator of the Cluny Museum, a strange individual with an extraordinary gift for making incredibly light footgear that was moulded like the most sensitive sculpture.
Cecil BeatonThe Glass Of Fashion (1954 - Rizzoli Ex Libris, 2014)
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Pierre Yantorny
Boot Maker In Paris
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The strange individual known as Pierre Yantorny was born Pietro Iantorni and fashioned himself as "the most expensive shoemaker in the world". The fabled Yantorny was active in Paris across the Eighteenth and Nineteenth century. Often mispelled as Yanturni, or Yantourny, at the height of his career wrote an article for The New York Times titled "Important Advice For The Well-Dressed Woman" and signed the piece as Paolo Yantorny, not Pierre, but it was no doubt it was him:
Paolo Yantorny is the master bootmaker of Europe. He is a tradesman unique in the world. In an article which appeared in The New York Times on March 3 last year, it was explained that each client must pay $ 600 in advance on giving an order. No single order for an amount less than that would be accepted. This year the limit is more than eight times in excess of that.
The New York Times | March 9, 1913
December 12, 2016 marks the 80th anniversary of Yantorny's death: time to celebrate and to know him to a greater degree.
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Pierre Yantorny
French of course plus Italian, Spanish and English
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Introducing Pietro Yantorny
Part 1 | Part 2
1908 | The Feathered Shoe
Pietro Yantorny | By My Rules
1916 | The Sense Of Beautiful Must Be Encouraged
1920 | Yantorny As Seen In Vogue
Part 1 | Part 2
Mrs. Rita De Acosta Lydig's collection
As told by Cecil Beaton
Pietro Yantorny's Legacy
Museums & Socialites
Inside View Of Yantorny
by Mercedes De Acosta
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Pierre Yantorny
Le Bottier Le Plus Cher Du Monde Exhibition catalog
Musée International de la Chaussure de Romans, France
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