Button (1)

Silver buttons were an important element of traditional dress throughout Europe in the 19th century. Most were worn by men, but in a few places women also wore them. Women's buttons tend to be larger and more decorative than those worn by men. They were mainly worn along the sleeves of the outer jacket, from the cuff to the elbow.

Spherical buttons are the oldest type in Europe, and the pattern of buttons like these, with applied filigree decoration, probably dates back to the Middle Ages. By the 19th century this design survived only in the extreme north, in Scandinavia and Russia. These buttons come from Torna district in Skåne, in the south of Sweden, where they were worn by women on their sleeves.

They have the maker’s mark AN or AH. There are a number of silversmiths with these marks who made traditional jewellery in Skåne in the early 19th century.