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Victorian set of Eight Papier mâché Buttons

626E
783 Admirers
Written by Olly Gerrish

A good set of eight buttons that were made circa 1880. They are ‘Papier mâché’. This is a term used to describe lots of objects made in slightly different ways, but all using mashed up paper and some sort of paste. The paper would be pressed into a cast to mould it into the desired shape. In the late 1700s, a man called Henry Clay found a new way to make papier mâché by pasting 10 sheets of rag paper on both sides with a mixture of cooked glue and flour, and then squeezing them together in a metal press. After pressing, the sheets were drenched in linseed oil, which made them waterproof, and then dried at 1000°f (just over 500°c). These buttons are a good example of the craft and have been inlaid with mother of pearl in the shape of leaves and flowers

Item Number
626E
Measurements
Diameter of buttons 3cm
Materials
Date & Origin
Provenance
English
Condition
Good, small nibbles commensurate with age
Discovered
4 years ago
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