The origin of gloves

Source from China

Archaeological discoveries have shown that ancient China had gloves during the Warring States period. Excavations at Tomb 1 in Tengdian, Jiangling, Hubei Province have unearthed a bird book inscription of the Yue King's sword with the words "Yue King Zhu Gou Self Acting Sword", as well as a pair of leather gloves. The leather gloves are 28.5 centimeters long, with five fingers separated and a slightly longer opening, very similar to the usual style of modern gloves. This was certainly a good thing used by the nobles at that time, and the common people may not have been able to use it yet, at least not without leather gloves. Checking gloves was not very common in ancient China. One reason is that the sleeves of Hanfu are wide, which can cover warm hands, perhaps with both hands tucked into the sleeves on the chest.

But leather gloves from tombs dating back to the mid Warring States period have been unearthed in Jiangling County, Hubei Province. In addition, the Western Han female corpses in the Mawangdui Han Tomb were wearing silk embroidered fingerless gloves on their hands.

Western sources

In ancient Rome, some nobles and warriors often went hunting in the wilderness. Carry trained eagles with them to help them catch birds. These eagles stop at their means, their feet are very sharp and often scratch the skin on people's means. So people came up with a way to wear long arm gloves on their hands to maintain their skin. Later, the use of gloves gradually changed, becoming various protective gloves used by ancient people during rest and warm gloves for hands in winter.

Since the 13th century, wearing gloves as decoration became popular among women in Europe. These gloves are usually made of linen or silk, and can be as long as the means or elbows. Most of them are made of animal leather. At the same time, leather gloves are soaked in perfume to cover the smell of leather. During this period, it was also common for male nobles to wear decorated gloves. Until now, many formal venues in the West have a tradition of wearing gloves as a sign of seriousness.

The Pope, Cardinals, and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church wear white gloves during Mass, which serve both decorative and sacred purposes.

Western professional soldiers traditionally wear white gloves, and throwing gloves at others is often a step towards initiating a duel. Currently, white gloves are still a part of many national military uniforms.

Gloves have become increasingly diverse and popular among a wide range of people in modern times