The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-25
THE HISTORY or BUTTONS.
Gigantic Catches. Once set In Diamonds View
Reduced TO Little Rags and Bone.-

From the Figaro.
Recently at the Hotel Drouot there VAS a So
OF a curious and interesting collection Of Az
cicnt buttons, the property Of Baron Per:guAn
Of Paris. This collection. which was exhibited
in Iss9 at the Exposition OF Decorative Arts.
might rival any one OF those belonging 10 its
most enthusiastic buttonists in the word.
Clapisson. the musician. collected :, 7Jo difersrt
specimens. In 1Si9a collector in Client erl.t-
tied more than 10000. and NJ. MaiEnien. The
librarian of the Grsnoble Library, gained sosr-
tain reputation in this branch Of cu-losit:es
through his collection of buttons OF liyeries and
of uniforms
The buttons OF the eighteenth century h-ng
high prices in the market at the present time
There are some of them that F~ragoaArd- We are
told. decorated with his marvellous pencil. In
his time it was fashionable 20 make presents q
buttons as big as a crown piece. on which ale
gories and various subjects were carved.
Ba~chaumont writes In his Secret Memoir,
Nov. l.. 1855: The mania for buttons L today
extremely ridiculous They are not only O.
enormous size. some of them as big as six-poUn1
crow ms, but miniatures and pictures are made
upon them, and thiso characterization is extremely
costly. Some of them represent the medals %
the twelve Caesars. Others antique statues, and
still Others the Me;aTnorqhoses of Ovid"
Isabey. in his Biographical! notes says thas
~ Leu At AA-AAt ~ 4 0-A = - " ~ -S- q - -0e -
making copies Of vanloos ami BoQehers on ths
ids OF snuf toxes. and that for these medaIlions
be was paid from Is 10 5 francs each IL was
still the fashion" he said, 20 wear buttons az
big as q fve-franc piece, upon which cupids-
flowers, and landscapes were cut In cameo. I
went into thai business ! spt Il sols for each"
Two years after this period in the life of Ba-
chaumont buttons aHanioned erudiiiOn TO take
M eiilcship. All the fine monuments of Paris
were carved on them. Then came the patriotic
buttons rpUreSenitug the taking of the BAsl24c.
the emblem OF the three orders, the PhryE1An
can. the portraits Of Louis XVI. OF Mirabsau.
Shortly a~frerwari these ornaments were laid
aside. The reign of the artistic button was over.
and the mother of pearl button became genera.
The oldest buttons az present in the museums
and among the collections are the gold buttons
discovered at Mycens, AZ the Time of the e1Sa.
those found in the tomb OF Ckilderic / Tls
latter were exhibit ed at the Louvre in the Muse
des Souverains- They are made OF gold and ~
coloced. glass, initiating. garnet Buttons d.
/ tached from copes and religious Garmcnis Of ne
middle ages and OF the Renaissance have also
But the riches, things of the kind. heyoa& ,
a9nht. are those hal were worn BY LOUIS Ny
and Presents TO the King. al present preserved!
in the Ministry OF Foreign Affairs. gives an
official account of the buttons of thai potnPous
sovereign. Il is as follows:
Feb. 3. l6~5-Montarcy presented 10 yhe
! King eighty diamond buttons. valued az l>o.o@o
"May :. 16s5-Made and delivered by s;eur
Bose. six diamond buttons, $4,000 nvrcs-
July 70. l6s5-Handed ove- by Montarcy o
the Marquis de Seignelay for ne King seventy.
! five diamond buttons. $50. 1uS livrcs-
Aug. !, l6s5-Two diamond buttons. 81
Aug. Id. l6s5-ThrOc diamond buttons
: s., 600 livrcs-
De-. 70. l6s5-Four diamond buttons. s3.--5
livreS.
Another item in the same year:
July Pa, l6s5-Furnished by Monta7ey ~
the Kings vest: Forty-eiGhi gold buttons. e,,a
set With a diamond, and nine;y-slN clasps, 'f-l''
eight Of which were composed OF lVe t.a.-#a 5
each, and torty-eight OF one diamond a.. l., $50
l23 liyrcs.
Also ISL clasps for the double, o. he Ka-.
l62 OF which were formed OF fv" or,umn.s
each. and l62 of one diamond each. t,sHa.Hih.
I'm addition, there were seven ~ a'.fNiAI
clasps OF three diamonds each. 20, '.,'@N-
"Sundry presents, thirty.lAgyv ,-3.ti-rH.rd
clasps, 57I. 500 liyres-"
That foots up a total Of ahoG; '.-os W>.,..ans
for the buttons 81 the "GrGS, H. faE i"e
single year of 1885. The p?crc.-l- yt"T Louis
NV. received a lot OF buttons TIA: we're valued
AT l.o7l, 600 hvres. In thc>y ,-gmcrai'oEs
there is no mention OF the diamonds I": no
shoes. the carriers, the cuffs, and tie hats 81 Ito
monarch.
We are obliged 10 admit. with our coats and
oVprCoaIs garnished with miserable !'i.e tj"ih
and bone affairs, we cut q poor HcsCE II 30
fancy button business compared 10 the dudes Of
the days OF Louis XIV.