Button
c. 1850 (made)
| Place of origin |
This collection of agate and carnelian buttons, understood to have been fashioned in Chennai (Madras) before 1879 when they were acquired by London's Indian Museum, shows a range of shapes and styles. Traditionally, most of the fashioning and polishing was accomplished using abrasive-charged discs and wheels that were turned on bow-driven lathes, with the holes being made with a bow-driven drill. Most of the carnelian raw material is routinely subjected to heat-treatment to dry it and to permanently intensify the colour.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Agate and carnelian, cut and polished using abrasives probably with the use of a bow-driven disc, drill, lathe or wheel. |
| Brief description | Buttons, ten in a bag, carnelian and agate, for costume, Madras India, c. 1850 |
| Physical description | A collection of round buttons of varied size and form, in varying shades of orange, each with a single drill hole. One has radiating channels carved into the dome which widen as they run to the circumference. Two are flat discs with bevelled edges. Seven are small and similar in appearance. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Formerly in The India Museum in London and transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879. |
| Summary | This collection of agate and carnelian buttons, understood to have been fashioned in Chennai (Madras) before 1879 when they were acquired by London's Indian Museum, shows a range of shapes and styles. Traditionally, most of the fashioning and polishing was accomplished using abrasive-charged discs and wheels that were turned on bow-driven lathes, with the holes being made with a bow-driven drill. Most of the carnelian raw material is routinely subjected to heat-treatment to dry it and to permanently intensify the colour. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 08578(IS) |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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