Buttons-weights: clasp, decoration and amulet. vintage buttons

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:45

It's hard to imagine, but in the history of our Fatherland there was a time when a button could cost more than the clothes themselves, and was a highly artistic fine jewelry creation. The first fasteners resembling it appeared in the third millennium BC. And the ancestors of the Russian button have been known, according to archaeological finds, since the sixth century. In the article we will study in more detail the buttons-weights, their history, structure and meaning.

General information

Such types of buttons are found literally everywhere where a person has previously been or lived. Most, of course, have been excavated in settlements, where small metal buttons can be found almost anywhere near the remains of an old foundation.

Ancient fittings got their name due to their shape and relatively large mass. The weight of one button can reach several grams. Each clasp is made up of twothe main components are an ear and a small knob in the form of an egg or even an acorn. Therefore, in some sources, such accessories symbolize fertility.

Basic button functions

In history, this type of fittings served as an identification mark. For the ancient clothes of ministers and people who are in power, departmental buttons were used. By such a clasp, it was directly judged to which category and to which state institution its wearer belonged.

During the reign of Nicholas I, special departmental buttons were introduced. Such fasteners were visually different and had their own type for each category: from the gatekeeper to the chancellor. It is interesting that many variants of symbolism have survived to this day: oak branches - the designation of a forester, an anchor - a symbol of the fleet, etc.

Who owned the buttons

The materials from which the fasteners are made also had their own special symbolism. Buttons made of noble metals were sewn onto the clothes of officers. Tin, bronze, copper and brass buttons were used for the outfits of ordinary soldiers. Generals in military service wore buttons with an eagle, and representatives of the royal families used clasps with a crown on the outside of the accessories.

Magic meaning

In the modern world, hardly anyone remembers and understands that in the past a wooden, tin or silver button-weight was one of the main magical amulets that were used to scare away evil forces. According to the judgments of our ancestors, the gateall kinds of outfits - a very important element of clothing in terms of mysticism, because the most vulnerable to evil spirits were considered open parts of the body - hands, neck and face. In this regard, the first fasteners were sewn on the collar and sleeves, and were also decorated with charmed patterns that were used to scare away evil spirits.

In fact, ancient Russian buttons-weights that adorned shirt collars are quite frequent archaeological finds. In most cases, there are symbols of the sun - a spiral or a circle, inside of which there is a point in the middle. Signs of land and arable land are much less common.

The magic nature of a button was determined by three features:

• drawings, for example, patterns, etc.;
• the way and outline of fasteners (for example, the shape of an egg, which is considered a symbol of fertility);
• color fittings.

Button Symbols

More often on fasteners-weights such ornaments are observed - a circle and circles evenly diverging from it, a hexagram, a point or several points applied simultaneously, a square, a triangle, a clover flower. The meaning of geometrically correct symbols and motifs, like a triangle, a circle and a cross, turns out to be the same for different nations: luminary, life, fire and earth. These symbols have their roots in ancient times.

Let's consider the meaning of other symbols that were previously applied to wooden, metal and bone buttons.

1. A spiral or circle with a dot in the middle is the most common symbol of the sun. This is understandable: sunlight drives away the forces of darkness. The circle is the earliest symbolic sign of unity and infinity, absolute and perfection.
2. The triangle denoted birth, life and death, as well as the beginning, middle and end of something. In some cases, this symbolism is interpreted as the triune beginning of a person: spiritual, physical and mental.
3. Cross fittings - symbolically denotes the cardinal directions, the four elements of nature.
4. The five-pointed star is considered a fairly strong amulet of abundance. The sacred and for many lucky number five is indicated by the sign of completeness (a person has five sense organs, five fingers on each of the limbs, etc.).
5. The hexagon or hexagram, known today as the "star of David", is a symbol of perfection, since the world around was created by God in six days.

History of the weight button

The clasps in the form of weights are a rather ordinary find for medieval Russian settlements. The accessories are sewn behind the eyelet to one side of the garment, on the second side of the outfit a loop of braid was attached. The weight button was threaded into the loop, and the connection was thus well fixed. The same principle is used in China to fasten their robes. But there is one difference: as a button, a knot is knitted from threads or a tourniquet.

Buttons-weights of the same type and size are found in all medieval settlements. And inthe Volga city of Bolgar, and in Saray-Berk, cases of finding such fittings were also recorded. Basically, the buttons had a spherical shape. All such clasps date mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries.

Button materials

Most often, accessories were made in those distant times from gold, silver, tin and copper alloys, natural bone, wood, which could be covered with fabric. The situations of using leather, mother-of-pearl, pearls, ornamental and precious stones, crystal and glass are not uncommon.

Weight buttons in archaeological finds are dominated by bronze and copper, but many historians believe that such metals are simply better preserved in the ground. In everyday life, buttons are more common, made from simple improvised materials, such as bone or even wood. Sometimes there are weights that are decorated with tassels and other decorative elements. Most of the finds are cast buttons, which are made of copper alloys and a mixture of tin and lead. Many weight buttons are engraved with geometric patterns. The archaeological finds are dominated by bronze and copper fittings, which are very well preserved in the ground.

Button Patch Features

In the period of pre-Petrine Russia, fasteners on clothes served as a kind of "calling card" of their owner. The number of buttons, the shape, signs and patterns applied to them could tell about the position of a person, about his merits, proximity toa lot of power. Each outfit was supposed to have a strictly defined number of fasteners:

• 3, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 19 buttons were sewn to long-skirted outerwear;
• for winter outerwear made of natural fur - 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 or more buttons per leg.

The crucible was supposed to have the largest number of fasteners. This type of clothing is a quilted caftan worn by warriors.

Cost

Surely many collectors are interested in the price of antique buttons. It is difficult to say something definite about the cost of rare items, because buttons, like coins, have a specific denomination, year of issue and types of weights. In determining the value of a button, it all depends on how often they are found, as well as on the desire of the collector to buy a particular item.

Conditionally fittings can be divided into three main types:

• The first type is simple and common clasps. In 95% of situations, you can see just such buttons. Distinctive feature: a smooth base or a flat base with a circular ornament. Such buttons distinguish between solid and hollow. The cost of such rare fasteners is 10-20 rubles apiece.
• The second type of buttons has a complex pattern and shape, interspersed with colored stones, enamel or glass elements. The cost of such valuable accessories is 100-500 rubles.
• The third type - buttons issued before the 15th-16th century. Such fasteners are not particularly attractive, butonly their antiquity is of interest to collectors. Approximate cost 500-2000 rubles.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the cleaning of rare buttons. Regardless of the material of the weights, they can be washed with soap and a toothbrush under running hot water. Chemical cleaning, and even more so electrolysis, is not used so as not to spoil the surface of the buttons.