Button
Several of these buttons and fasteners were shown in "A Slice of Schiaparelli: Surrealism in Fashion from the Brooklyn Museum." Patricia Mears named and dated them as follows:
"Tinsel Candlestick" jacket fasteners, winter 1937-38
"Playing Card" emblem buttons, fall-winter 1939
"Ship Tacking Hinge" jacket pins, ca. 1935
"Crown" button, fall 1937
"Victorian mirror" suit pins, spring 1938
"Cricket" jacket pins, fall 1938
Yet another example of the fall 1938 pagan collection in the Brooklyn Museum's collection, these ornamental cricket buttons are a quintessential representation of the collection's theme as a whole and of Schiaparelli's Surrealist sensibility. Schiaparelli designed clothing as an expression of her Surrealist aesthetic that included iconography that would normally be considered odd or even repugnant in association with something to be worn, for instance the well-known lobster dress of 1937 worn by the Duchess of Windsor and the plentiful insects of the pagan collection, seen on jewelry, hats, as decoration and, as seen here, fasteners. The interloping insects would seem to be crawling on high-style clothing and jewelry, the ultimate Surrealist declaration.
"Tinsel Candlestick" jacket fasteners, winter 1937-38
"Playing Card" emblem buttons, fall-winter 1939
"Ship Tacking Hinge" jacket pins, ca. 1935
"Crown" button, fall 1937
"Victorian mirror" suit pins, spring 1938
"Cricket" jacket pins, fall 1938
Yet another example of the fall 1938 pagan collection in the Brooklyn Museum's collection, these ornamental cricket buttons are a quintessential representation of the collection's theme as a whole and of Schiaparelli's Surrealist sensibility. Schiaparelli designed clothing as an expression of her Surrealist aesthetic that included iconography that would normally be considered odd or even repugnant in association with something to be worn, for instance the well-known lobster dress of 1937 worn by the Duchess of Windsor and the plentiful insects of the pagan collection, seen on jewelry, hats, as decoration and, as seen here, fasteners. The interloping insects would seem to be crawling on high-style clothing and jewelry, the ultimate Surrealist declaration.
Artwork Details
- Title: Button
- Design House: Schiaparelli (French, founded 1927)
- Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
- Maker: Attributed to Jean Clément (French, 1900–1949)
- Maker: Attributed to Roger Jean-Pierre (French, active 1934–1976)
- Date: fall 1938
- Culture: French
- Medium: metal, plastic (cellulose nitrate)
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955
- Object Number: 2009.300.1499a–i
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall/winter 1937–38
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
summer 1940
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
1936–37
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall 1937
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
ca. 1938
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.