Brooch

Image Not Available

Status

Not on view

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.

Read MoreRead Less

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.

Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.