One of twenty-six ivory buttons painted with butterflies., Delhi, ca. 1880

This is one of a set of buttons painted with a depiction of a butterfly. Such paintings are a legacy of the traditional skill of Indian court artists at working in miniature. The naturalistic subject of the paintings on this button is unusual. Delhi miniatures of this type are typically painted with Indian monuments and portraits of Mughal emperors. Such miniatures could be acquired separately, or mounted into boxes or pieces of jewellery.

With the decline of Mughal patronage in the 18th century, miniature painters formerly working for the court emigrated to new centres of power or began to produce works specifically for the growing number of Europeans in India. By the mid 19th century this had grown into a substantial souvenir trade. Ivory button depicting a butterfly, under a glass disc.