One of twenty-six ivory buttons painted with butterflies
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1880
This object is a circular button made of ivory, decorated with a watercolour painting protected beneath a glass disc. It belongs to a set of twenty-six buttons depicting butterflies, executed in the Company painting style. The composition features a naturalistic depiction of a blue-winged butterfly set against a lightly sketched grassy ground.
The button was produced in Delhi, India, around 1880 by an unknown artist. It was created using watercolour on ivory. The painted subject represents an unusual naturalistic motif for Delhi miniatures of this era, which more commonly depicted Indian monuments or portraits of Mughal emperors.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Miniature paintings of this type represent the enduring skills of Indian court miniature painters. Following the decline of Mughal patronage during the 18th century, painters dispersed to other centres of power or began catering specifically to Europeans in India, developing into a significant souvenir trade by the mid-19th century. Such miniature works could be bought separately or mounted into items such as jewellery or boxes. This button was presented to the museum by W. Chapman Esq.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Watercolour on Ivory, painted
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Delhi
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- One of twenty-six ivory buttons painted with butterflies.
- Museum object number
- IS.15-1898
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.