Unknown artist, Pair of Detachable Buttons, 1800s. Gold filigree; ¼ in. dia. Gift of the Stapleton Foundation of Latin American Colonial Art, made possible by the Renchard family, 1990.612A-B.

diameter: 1/4 in, 0.635 cm

Mayer Center, Latin American Art

Latin American Art

This object is currently on view

Filigree, or metal lace, as it was aptly called, is the technique of fashioning objects from thin metal wire. An ancient technique in both Europe and the Americas, it continued to be used throughout the Spanish colonial era. Prior to the 1800s, fancy buttons were usually not sewn onto clothing, but were fashioned like cuff links so they could be transferred from one garment to another.
-- Julie Wilson Frick, 2017

Gifted 26 December 1990 to the Denver Art Museum by the Stapleton Foundation of Latin American Colonial Art, made possible by the Renchard Family. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.

• Glitterati: Portraits & Jewelry from Colonial Latin America (December 2014 - November 2016, Denver Art Museum)