Button, Iceland, 19th century (623A-1872)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
Women in Iceland wore large buttons, typically in sets of three, to hold their decorative aprons in place at the waistband. These buttons are always hollow, and can be round, hemispherical, or drum-shaped. They often have a pendant leaf hanging from the front.
Buttons were an important element of women’s traditional dress throughout the Nordic region. Leaf pendants are typical of both Icelandic and Sami (Lapp) dress, but Icelandic buttons usually have richer decoration, often of filigree, as here. The Icelandic name viravirkis-knappr means a filigree button. The pattern of rings within circles on this button is common in Iceland, but is also found on Sami and Russian buttons.
Hollow spherical button decorated all over with rings of applied wire and granules. Leaf-shaped pendant hanging from the centre of the front.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 2.5 cm; Length: 6.6 cm
- Materials and techniques
- Silver-gilt filigree
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Iceland
- Production note
- Worn by women
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O136687
- Museum object number
- 623A-1872
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.