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Set of buttons and case
William Comyns and Sons Ltd. - Enlarge image
Set of buttons and case
- Place of origin:
London, England (manufactured)
- Date:
1900 (manufactured)
- Artist/Maker:
William Comyns and Sons Ltd. (manufacturer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Red leather case, lined with blue silk and velvet; buttons of silver plate, cast and hand-pierced
- Credit Line:
Given by Miss Edith Byfeld Hall
- Museum number:
T.92 to G-1970
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 123, case 7
Object type
Boxed sets of silver buttons were popular between 1890 and 1910 and made attractive gifts. Some designs depicted classical scenes while others were in the Pre-Raphaelite or Art Nouveau style. Decorative buttons complemented late nineteenth century women's fashions.
Materials and Making
By 1880 new industrial processes and cheap labour meant that manufacturers were able to produce an amazing variety of designs at affordable prices. This was also a period of experimentation and metal was widely used in combination with other materials.
Design and Designing
These buttons were probably quite expensive even though they are not made of solid silver. This is because they would have taken a craftsman a long time to make. Although the relief design has been cast, the metal in between has been pierced out by hand which was a lengthy and skilled process.
Other
T.92 E&F are much smaller and of a different design. They probably do not belong to the same set as T.92 to D -1970, which have the Registered number stamped on the back. T. 92 G is the box. There should be six buttons in the set so one is missing.
