From the 17th century onwards, Dutch men wore dozens of silver buttons to demonstrate their wealth and status. The most popular kinds were round silver filigree buttons, and flat pictorial buttons. The designs on pictorial buttons were those of most interest to their owners: rural and seafaring scenes, bible stories, patriotic symbols, and horsemen. Many were based on the designs of 17th-century coins, but the same patterns continued to be used well into the 20th century. This button shows a scene from the Old Testament (Numbers 16, v. 1-23), where Moses' spies return from Canaan with a giant bunch of grapes. This design is often erroneously called 'Joshua's spies'.

Antique Dutch silver of all kinds was immensely popular in Britain at the end of the 19th century, particularly buttons. To meet the demand, many Dutch silversmiths made casts of antique examples, often including their original marks, stamped them using old moulds, or made new buttons in archaic designs. This button has marks for the Kingdom of Holland, from the beginning of the 19th century, and may date from that period. It was described as 18th century, from Rotterdam, when it was acquired by the Museum in 1891.