Button thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Button

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Lapland and Iceland are the most remote areas of north-west Europe. Their traditional jewellery retains many medieval characteristics lost elsewhere.

Women in Iceland wore large buttons, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. These buttons are always hollow, and can be round, hemispherical, or drum-shaped. They often have a pendant leaf hanging from the front.

Buttons were an important element of women’s traditional dress throughout the Nordic region. Leaf pendants are typical of both Icelandic and Sami (Lapp) dress, but Icelandic buttons usually have richer decoration, often of filigree, as here. The Icelandic name viravirkis-knappr means a filigree button. The pattern of rings within circles on this button is common in Iceland, but is also found on Sami and Russian buttons.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt filigree
Brief description
Hollow silver-gilt spherical button (viravirkis-knappr) with pendant leaf, Iceland, 19th century.
Physical description
Hollow spherical button decorated all over with rings of applied wire and granules. Leaf-shaped pendant hanging from the centre of the front.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 2.5cm
  • Length: 6.6cm
Production
Worn by women
Summary
Lapland and Iceland are the most remote areas of north-west Europe. Their traditional jewellery retains many medieval characteristics lost elsewhere.

Women in Iceland wore large buttons, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. These buttons are always hollow, and can be round, hemispherical, or drum-shaped. They often have a pendant leaf hanging from the front.

Buttons were an important element of women’s traditional dress throughout the Nordic region. Leaf pendants are typical of both Icelandic and Sami (Lapp) dress, but Icelandic buttons usually have richer decoration, often of filigree, as here. The Icelandic name viravirkis-knappr means a filigree button. The pattern of rings within circles on this button is common in Iceland, but is also found on Sami and Russian buttons.
Collection
Accession number
623A-1872

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Record createdJune 29, 2007
Record URL
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