Button

From the 17th century onwards, Dutch men wore dozens of silver buttons to demonstrate their wealth and status. The most popular kinds were round silver filigree buttons, and flat pictorial buttons. The designs on pictorial buttons were those of most interest to their owners: rural and seafaring scenes, bible stories, patriotic symbols, and horsemen. Many were based on the designs of 17th century coins, but the same patterns continued to be used well into the 20th century.

This button shows a VOC trading ship of the 17th century. It is marked on the back with the town arms of Schoonhoven, the date letter for 1787, and the silversmith’s initials ‘IV’. It may have been made by Jan van Vlierden, who worked in Schoonhoven from 1780-1790, but he is not recorded as a button maker.