Button
1800-1870 (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.
Buttons and clasps were mostly used for decoration. Women in Iceland wore large buttons of this kind, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. Many were round or hemispherical, but shallow, drum-shaped buttons like this one are typically and uniquely Icelandic.
Icelandic silversmiths had worked occasionally in filigree since the Middle Ages, but by the middle of the 19th century it had become their favourite technique for traditional jewellery. The strong clear pattern and the small pendent heart are typical of Icelandic filigree.
Buttons and clasps were mostly used for decoration. Women in Iceland wore large buttons of this kind, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. Many were round or hemispherical, but shallow, drum-shaped buttons like this one are typically and uniquely Icelandic.
Icelandic silversmiths had worked occasionally in filigree since the Middle Ages, but by the middle of the 19th century it had become their favourite technique for traditional jewellery. The strong clear pattern and the small pendent heart are typical of Icelandic filigree.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Sheet silver with filigree |
| Brief description | Silver drum-shaped button with filigree decoration and pendants, Iceland, 1800-1870. |
| Physical description | Large cylindrical silver button with a filigree rosette attached to the front. There is a large loop inserted in the centre of this rosette, with a heart-shaped filigree pendant hanging from it. There are three tiny heart-shaped pendants hanging from the lower edge of the pendant. |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | Lapland and Iceland are the most remote areas of north-west Europe. Their traditional jewellery retains many medieval characteristics lost elsewhere. Buttons and clasps were mostly used for decoration. Women in Iceland wore large buttons of this kind, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. Many were round or hemispherical, but shallow, drum-shaped buttons like this one are typically and uniquely Icelandic. Icelandic silversmiths had worked occasionally in filigree since the Middle Ages, but by the middle of the 19th century it had become their favourite technique for traditional jewellery. The strong clear pattern and the small pendent heart are typical of Icelandic filigree. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 621-1872 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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