On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Button

1791-1814 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In Sweden, as throughout most of Europe in the 19th century, silver buttons made to wear with traditional costume were mainly worn by men. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. Where buttons were part of women's traditional costume, they tended to be larger and even more extravagant than those worn by men.

This button is a woman's button. Its shape and function both date back to the Middle Ages, when buttons like this were worn as decoration on the sleeves and shoulders of formal dress.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt with applied filigree
Brief description
Large spherical silver-gilt button, decorated with applied filigree, Skåne (Sweden), 1791-1814.
Physical description
Hollow spherical silver-gilt button, covered all over with rings of twisted wire and granules, looking rather like a mine.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 28mm
  • Length: 33mm
Marks and inscriptions
'I G' in rectangular frame. (On back.)
Translation
Probably the mark of Jacob Gyberg, of Lund.
Production
worn by women
Summary
In Sweden, as throughout most of Europe in the 19th century, silver buttons made to wear with traditional costume were mainly worn by men. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. Where buttons were part of women's traditional costume, they tended to be larger and even more extravagant than those worn by men.

This button is a woman's button. Its shape and function both date back to the Middle Ages, when buttons like this were worn as decoration on the sleeves and shoulders of formal dress.
Collection
Accession number
461A-1886

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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