Button, silver, Netherlands, 1870-1890

This button appears typical of those made in the Netherlands in the late 18th century, with a rope border, and featuring a man in 18th-century costume. It was described as 18th century when it was acquired by the Museum in 1891. Antique Dutch silver of all kinds was immensely popular in Britain at the end of the 19th century, particularly buttons.

To meet the demand, many Dutch silversmiths made casts of antique examples, often including their original marks, stamped them using old moulds, or made new buttons in archaic designs. Although this button looks old, the design, of a huntsman blowing his horn, would have been rather unusual in the 18th century, when the designs were mainly religious or agricultural, but was common around 1900. It has no silver marks.

The makers of buttons like these, intended for export to Britain, often did not bother to have them assayed in the Netherlands first. Flat circular silver button, with a stamped design of a man in 18th-century dress with a peaked cap walking by a tree and blowing a hunting horn. There is a twisted wire border, and a ring shank on the back.