Dominic Winter Auctions
Lot 195
* Buttons. A framed set of engraved button covers, French, circa 1770s/80s, 8 circular hand-coloured stipple engravings, each depicting a head-and-shoulders portrait of a lady wearing an elaborate hat, diameter 37 mm (1.5 ins), mounted together on card, framed and glazed, together with: A collection of 18th century and later buttons, including: 14 late 18th century mother of pearl studs, each finely carved with a star and central paste jewel, brass and mother or pearl back, 16 mm diameter; a pair of pair of silver and enamel buttons by J. Aitken & Sons Birmingham 1911, each with a simulated pearl design on a blue and white geometric ground, 35 mm diameter; a group of 5 19th century copper and brass buttons, engraved with a starburst within a chiselled edge border, 35 mm diameter; a large George III mother of pearl button engraved with a trap pulled by a pair of horses, 45 mm diameter; an 18th century mother of pearl button engraved with a rococo design of c-scrolls and lattice-work, 37 mm diameter; and various other buttons and cufflinks including 14 silverQty: (a small box)NOTESProvenance: Collection of Jack Webb (1923-2019), London. Picture buttons first became popular in the 1770s, initially in France where they were known as 'boutons à miniature'. Such items were engraved or hand-drawn and usually mounted onto copper frames with a flat or slightly domed glass cover. They depicted a wide range of subjects, including architectural views, mythological scenes, historical events, and flora and fauna as well as images of ladies such as these. It is rare to find a set, seemingly unused. For similar see The Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession numbers 51.47.55–.58 and 50.231.167–.174).
