Button
1774-1819 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Silver buttons were an important element of traditional dress throughout Europe in the 19th century. Most were worn by men, but in a few places women also wore them. Women's buttons tend to be larger and more decorative than those worn by men. They were mainly worn along the sleeves of the outer jacket, from the cuff to the elbow.
Spherical buttons are the oldest type in Europe, and the pattern of buttons like this one, with applied filigree decoration, probably dates back to the Middle Ages. By the 19th century this design survived only in the extreme north, in Scandinavia and Russia. This button comes from Herrestad district in Skåne, in the south of Sweden, where it was worn by women on their sleeves.
It has the maker's mark EH. Erik Holmberg was a silversmith in Lund who specialised in traditional jewellery. He worked from 1774 to 1819.
Spherical buttons are the oldest type in Europe, and the pattern of buttons like this one, with applied filigree decoration, probably dates back to the Middle Ages. By the 19th century this design survived only in the extreme north, in Scandinavia and Russia. This button comes from Herrestad district in Skåne, in the south of Sweden, where it was worn by women on their sleeves.
It has the maker's mark EH. Erik Holmberg was a silversmith in Lund who specialised in traditional jewellery. He worked from 1774 to 1819.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Repoussé silver with gilded front |
| Brief description | Hollow spherical silver button, gilded on the front, with domed decoration, Lund (Sweden), 18th or 19th century. |
| Physical description | Spherical button of sheet silver, with plain back, and gilded front decorated with a repousse pattern of domes and imitation rings of twisted wire. Applied ring of twisted wire round circumference. D-section loop shank, with imitation twisted wire surround. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'EH' in rectangular frame (Mark of Erik Holmberg of Lund, twice on back.) |
| Historical context | Worn by women. |
| Summary | Silver buttons were an important element of traditional dress throughout Europe in the 19th century. Most were worn by men, but in a few places women also wore them. Women's buttons tend to be larger and more decorative than those worn by men. They were mainly worn along the sleeves of the outer jacket, from the cuff to the elbow. Spherical buttons are the oldest type in Europe, and the pattern of buttons like this one, with applied filigree decoration, probably dates back to the Middle Ages. By the 19th century this design survived only in the extreme north, in Scandinavia and Russia. This button comes from Herrestad district in Skåne, in the south of Sweden, where it was worn by women on their sleeves. It has the maker's mark EH. Erik Holmberg was a silversmith in Lund who specialised in traditional jewellery. He worked from 1774 to 1819. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 460-1886 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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