Blue Cloisonné Waistcoat Buttons
Made in Japan and imported to Britain during the late Nineteenth Century as part of the Japonism craze, this set of six two-tone blue cloisonné waistcoat buttons are only three quarters of a centimetre in diameter. They come in their original white silk lined tooled taupe shagreen box. They are extremely good quality and would have been purchased by someone of means. They are designed with a shank on the back so that they can be connected to a loop sewn into the fabric. That way the buttons could be removed when the waistcoat required cleaning or could be changed for alternate buttons for a different look. Whoever wore them must have been a Victorian dandy!
(Private collection.)
This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each week, and the image is to be posted on the Monday of the week.
This week the theme, “blue” was chosen by Phunny, phunnyfotos.
What better way to display the love of blue in fashion than through these delightful two-tone blue cloisonné waistcoat buttons?
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, and inlays of cut gemstones, glass and other materials were also used during older periods. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or affixing silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colours. Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln.
The Japanese produced large quantities from the mid Nineteenth Century, of very high technical quality cloisonné. In Japan cloisonné enamels are known as shippō-yaki (七宝焼). Early centres of cloisonné were Nagoya during the Owari Domain. Companies of renown were the Ando Cloisonné Company. Later centres of renown were Edo and Kyoto. In Kyoto Namikawa became one of the leading companies of Japanese cloisonné.
Blue Cloisonné Waistcoat Buttons
Made in Japan and imported to Britain during the late Nineteenth Century as part of the Japonism craze, this set of six two-tone blue cloisonné waistcoat buttons are only three quarters of a centimetre in diameter. They come in their original white silk lined tooled taupe shagreen box. They are extremely good quality and would have been purchased by someone of means. They are designed with a shank on the back so that they can be connected to a loop sewn into the fabric. That way the buttons could be removed when the waistcoat required cleaning or could be changed for alternate buttons for a different look. Whoever wore them must have been a Victorian dandy!
(Private collection.)
This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each week, and the image is to be posted on the Monday of the week.
This week the theme, “blue” was chosen by Phunny, phunnyfotos.
What better way to display the love of blue in fashion than through these delightful two-tone blue cloisonné waistcoat buttons?
Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, and inlays of cut gemstones, glass and other materials were also used during older periods. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or affixing silver or gold wires or thin strips placed on their edges. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colours. Cloisonné enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln.
The Japanese produced large quantities from the mid Nineteenth Century, of very high technical quality cloisonné. In Japan cloisonné enamels are known as shippō-yaki (七宝焼). Early centres of cloisonné were Nagoya during the Owari Domain. Companies of renown were the Ando Cloisonné Company. Later centres of renown were Edo and Kyoto. In Kyoto Namikawa became one of the leading companies of Japanese cloisonné.