George Washington agate button commemorative pendant

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Status

Not on view

Datec. 1860

Maker Unknown

Geography Probably made - United States

Medium/TechniqueGold, silver, agate, enamel

DimensionsOverall (maximum): 4 1/4 in. x 3 in. (10.8 cm x 7.62 cm) Overall: 4 1/8 in. × 2 13/16 in. × 3/4 in. (10.48 cm × 7.14 cm × 1.91 cm)

Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of Ron and Cheryl Howard and the A. Alfred Taubman Acquisition Endowment Fund, 2017

Object numberW-5530

DescriptionTrefoil shaped gold pendant set with three circular agate and silver buttons, arranged two over one below the monogram “GW” enameled in black in facsimile script. The flecked gray white agate buttons are partly transparent; each has a silver boss at the center of the polished, domed face and a silver loop shank projecting from the flat reverse. The gold setting framing each of the three buttons is ornamented with applied gold filigree wire and three applied leaf shaped ornaments. The pendant is suspended from a small hanging loop attached to a wedge shaped slider; the applied ornaments and slider have small central bosses.
Published ReferencesSotheby's (Firm), Washington-Custis Silver, Property of a Direct Descendant, 1774-1779: New York, MAY 19, 2005, Sales Catalogue NO8142 (New York: Sotheby's, 2005), lot 4, 40.

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