Brooch
Label Text
The agate button with a silver boss that constitutes the center of this brooch was originally among a larger set of buttons owned by George Washington. Following his death in 1799, his agate buttons joined many others removed from his clothing and preserved by family members and admirers. It was likely the Washington's great-great-granddaughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee (1808-1873), who set this button in gold for proud display.
See also buttons, W-2343/A-D, W-943, and W-2344/A&B.
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Datec. 1860
Geography
Probably made -
United States
Medium/TechniqueAgate, gold, white metal
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/8 in. x 2 5/16 in. x 1 3/16 in. (3.49 cm x 5.87 cm x 3.02 cm)
Credit LinePurchased by the A. Alfred Taubman Acquisition Endowment Fund and partial gift of an anonymous donor, 2004
Object numberW-2777
DescriptionGold and agate button brooch; agate button with silver boss at center; polished domed face on the obverse, and flat surface on the reverse; silver loop shank projecting from the rear; set into a gold bezel, flanked by two hexagonal wings; the exterior is decorated with soldered-on gold cord and bosses; a pin fitting and c-clasp are affixed to the reverse; a pendant loop is soldered to the top interior edge.Published ReferencesCarol Borchert Cadou, The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), 265.
Sotheby'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), 40.
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