Designs for Buttons 18th century

Curator: Let's turn our attention to a sheet of studies entitled "Designs for Buttons," an 18th-century work currently residing here at The Met. The piece employs etching, drawing and print on paper and comes to us from an anonymous artist. Editor: Buttons, you say? My first thought on viewing this is not ornamentation, but of viewing these natural settings through a looking glass. The stark geometrical form only serves to heighten this effect, presenting what feel like idyllic landscapes. Curator: Indeed. I'd add that the employment of etching creates a tonal depth; particularly observe how light is represented to bring form into being. You'll note a geometric quality that appears from the borders, of course, but in the landscapes themselves. Editor: It makes one wonder what buttons with these designs would signify. In a period defined by its class-based social and political upheavals, I find myself drawn to what these buttons might suggest for those who wore them. Emblems of wealth or… perhaps… declarations of allegiance, as well? Curator: The landscapes are each distinct and tell their own structural story, wouldn't you say? I note particularly the deployment of geometric composition to represent organic and natural structures, as well as what looks to be geometric plantings and sculptures within those very scenes. Editor: To consider how fashion might reinforce status, it bears remembering who gets to wear these images and under what context. They aren’t simply “designs”, they become loaded markers of belonging or differentiation depending on social usage and cultural relevance. Curator: I must admit I am most intrigued by the deployment of line, and how they interact with shapes within these circumscribed boundaries. I find this offers so much insight on the intention of their creator. Editor: So, ultimately, these modest-sized button designs open up much larger landscapes for historical consideration. Curator: And certainly contribute to an understanding of 18th-century artistry that may seem more personal in such a humble format.