These gloves have an interesting history that is well documented as far back as 1713. It seems fairly certain that they originally belonged to King James VI & I. The gloves passed to two other distinguished owners in the eighteenth century, Ralph Thoresby of Leeds (a noted antiquarian) and Horace Walpole of Strawberry Hill.
Leather gloves with deep gauntlet cuffs and angled side vents closing with three ribbon loops. Trimmed with silk and metallic fringe, silk applique and metal thread embroidery, metallic braid and lace. The construction and decoration of these gloves are typical of the Jacobean period, especially the distinctive `zigzag' motif created by applied silk triangles and metal thread embroidery.