Button
Unknown Artist
ca. 1880
Medium
enamel
Classification
Button
Culture
French
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Hanna S. Kohn Collection, 1951
Accession Number
51.47.831–.856
Art Historical Context
This exquisite enamel button, crafted in France around 1880, offers a glimpse into the refined world of 19th-century fashion accessories Produced during the Belle Époque's early stirrings, when French couture emphasized intricate details, buttons like this transcended mere utility to become miniature jewels adorning garments. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Costume Institute, hails from the Hanna S. Kohn Collection, acquired in 1951, the era's passion for decorative hardware in women's dress. Enameling, the button's medium, involves fusing powdered glass onto a metal base in vibrant c...