The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-09-17
MILLIONS In BUTTONS
CATCHES MADE or COSTLY DIAMONDS
IN -HE DAYS or LOUIS XIV.
AZ Inventory That Reads. Like . Fairy
Tale The Ridiculous Mania For Cigsn-
tic buttons In the Eighteenth Century.
Collectors Pay High Prices.


Collectors Pay High Prices.
Recently at the Hotel Drouot there
was sale Of a curious and interesting
collection Of ancient buttons. the proper
" Of Baron Perignan Of Paris. This col
lection, which was exhibited IN 1889 at
the exposition Of decorative arts, might
rival any one Of those belonging TO the
most enthusiastic buttonists in the
world. Clapisson. the musician, col
lected 1850 different specimens. in
1910 a collector in Client exhibited
more than 30, 600. and NJ. Maignien,
the Librarian ~ the Grenohle library,
gained certain reputation IN this
branch of curiosities through his collec-
ticn 81 buttons az liveries and Of uni
forms.
The buttons Of the eighteenth century
bring high prices in the market at the
present time. There are some Of them
that Fragonard. we are told, decorated
with his marvellous pencil. In his time
il was fashionable 10 make presents OF
buttons as big as "a crown piece. on
W hich allegories and various subjects
Were carved
Bachaumont writes in his Secret
Memoirs, . Nov. Is, 1856: 1.-The mania
for 1uttons i today extremely ridicu-
lous They are not only of enormous
size some Of them as big as six pound
crowns, but miniatures and pictures are
made upon them, and this ornamental
tion is extremely costly. Some Of them
represent the medals Of the y Caesars,
Others antique statues and still Others
the Metamorphoses of Ovid.
Isabey, in his biographical notes,
saws that when he came 10 Paris he
worked for a living by making copies
Of Nanloos and Bouchers on the lids Of
snutfboxes, and that for these medal
lions lac was paid from q 10 francs
each. AS it was still the fashion," he
said, Ito wear buttons as big as 8
franc piece, upon which Cupids. flowers
and landscapes were cut in cameo, |
went into thar business. i got IL sous
for each.
Two years after this period in the
erudition TO take up ediloship. All the
fine monuments Of Paris were carved
on them. Then came the patriotic but
tons. representing the taking of the Bas-
tile, the emblem of the three orders,
the Phrygian cap, the portraits Of Louis
XVI, of Miraleau.
Shortly afterward these ornaments
were laid aside The reign Of the ar
tistic button was over, and the mother
of pearl button became general.
The Oldest buttons ~ present IN the
museums and among the collections are
the gold buttons discovered at Mycena,
at the time If the excavations undertake
en- by DIR. Schliemann, and also those
found in the tomb Of Childeric l. The
latter were exhibited at the Louvre in
the Musee DIES Sonverains. They are
made of gold and Of colored glass, imi-
tating garnet. Buttons detached from
copes and religious garments of the
middle ages and of the renaissance
have also been discovered.
But the richest things of the kind, be-
yond doubt, are thos. that were worn
by Louis XIV. NJ Maze Sencier in the
Register Of Diamonds and Presents TO
the King" at present preserved in the
ministry Of foreign affairs, gives an Off
cial account Of the buttons Of that pomp-
ous sovereign. Ii j. az follows:
Feb. 5. 1850 -Montarcy presented
to the king so diamond buttons, valued
at $50, $50 livres.
May :, 1855 Made and delivered
| by Sieur Bose, 6 diamond buttons, 80,
600 livres
July 26. 1855. Handed over by
Montarcy to the Marquis de Seignelay
for the king 40 diamond buttons, $780,
703 livres.
Aug. /, 1855. Two diamond but
tons, 81, SOC livres.
"Aug. Is. 1855. Three diamond but
tons, 50, $50 livres.
Dec 90, IGs5.-Four diamond hut
tons, s3.715 livres. =
Another item in the same year:
July 20, I6s5.-Furnished by Mon
tarcy for the kings vest: Forty-eigh
gold buttons, each set with diamond
and 96 clasps, AS Of which were com
posed Of five diamonds each and As o
enc diamond each, ls5. 1913 livres.
Also 3si clasps for the doublet O
the K ng, l62 of which were formed @
five diamonds each and 1872 Of one dia
mond each. / zoos, 345 livres.
In addition there were seven orna
mental clasps Of three diamonds each
20i, 2sO livres.
"Sundry presents. 33 ornamente
! clasps, 514, 1866 livres.
That foots up total of about 5000
600 livrcs for the buttons of the ''Grea
King for the single year of 1855. Tn
preceding year Louis NV received n 10
of buttons that were valued at | ,0s 90
! livrcs. In these enumerations there
no mention Of the diamonds for tn
: shoes. the garters, the cuffs and tn
J hats Of the monarch.
, We are obliged TO admit. with on
coats and overcoats garnished with mis-
: cradle little cloth and hone affairs, W
7 cut poor figure in the fancy Iutto
q business compared 10 the dudes Of th
days of Louis XIV. Paris Figaro
Time To Change.
=