Button
1845-1879 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Men throughout northern Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. The most popular kinds, throughout the region, were round filigree buttons, which varied in design and details of construction from place to place. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with traditional dress since at least the 16th century.
Swedish men wore several different kinds of button. These tiny filigree buttons formed part of a set of 12 waistcoat buttons. Their design, of a ring of coil rings round a central red paste, is typical of the buttons worn in Småland and Blekinge. Although these buttons rarely carry any marks other than the maker's mark, they were almost all made in the town of Karlskrona, so can be easily identified. One of these carries the mark of Adrian Lillja, who was a Karlskrona silversmith working from 1845-1879.
Swedish men wore several different kinds of button. These tiny filigree buttons formed part of a set of 12 waistcoat buttons. Their design, of a ring of coil rings round a central red paste, is typical of the buttons worn in Småland and Blekinge. Although these buttons rarely carry any marks other than the maker's mark, they were almost all made in the town of Karlskrona, so can be easily identified. One of these carries the mark of Adrian Lillja, who was a Karlskrona silversmith working from 1845-1879.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Sheet silver with applied silver filigree surrounding a red facetted paste |
| Brief description | Set of five (originally 12) small silver filigree buttons set with a red paste, Småland and Blekinge (Sweden), 1845-1879. |
| Physical description | Set of five (originally 12) small hollow silver buttons. Each has a flat back and domed front decorated with a red facetted paste in the centre, surrounded by a ring of applied coil rings. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'A L' in rectangular frame. (On back.)
|
| Summary | Men throughout northern Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. The most popular kinds, throughout the region, were round filigree buttons, which varied in design and details of construction from place to place. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with traditional dress since at least the 16th century. Swedish men wore several different kinds of button. These tiny filigree buttons formed part of a set of 12 waistcoat buttons. Their design, of a ring of coil rings round a central red paste, is typical of the buttons worn in Småland and Blekinge. Although these buttons rarely carry any marks other than the maker's mark, they were almost all made in the town of Karlskrona, so can be easily identified. One of these carries the mark of Adrian Lillja, who was a Karlskrona silversmith working from 1845-1879. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 556J-1886 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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