Little but basic object, the button was already known in the copper age; but but our antecedents would rather use buckles, and they used those, most of all, for adornment. Romans, for example, used to needle one on their gowns; they used to call it 'lunula', because of the half moon shape, but it was just a decorative brooch. When in the 1300 the fashion trend were tight clothes, the buttons did, for the first time, his real job, that consists in closing corsets and clothes, even because shirts were still closed by laces. It was still precious, made in amber, crystal, gold and silver; usually even pearls were used for female buttons, and they are used even nowadays for shirts particularly elegant. In 1400 the buttons were victimized by the Sumptuary Laws, that regulated the luxury of the city's clothing, to avoid useless and immoral pomps. One of these, enacted in Florence, in 1415, was saying "the woman can't bring more silver than a pound padding".
Many big artist between the end of 600 and the end of 700, wrestled in the realization of little hand-painted buttons with different composition like seascapes, ashes of old buildings, battles, knights and love scenes. The trend of painted buttons ended with the ending of the century, when the clothing changed again going to the neoclassical style. The second half of the century was marked by the archeological discoveries. By the bond with the ancientness people starts to create miniature buttons and tried to improve the materials. Metallic buttons were used both for civil and military application, at the beginning they were made in different alloys, in silver and gold. These buttons were often printed by molds for buttons in silver, and with this technique it was possible to get a great variety of shapes. As well as these types of buttons, were also made buttons in porcelain decorated predominantly by flowers, birds and insects. Some of the most popular subjects, over the floral one, were the chinoiserie, that is the interest for China.
In the first half of XVII century, the trend was the Rococo style, where the wild and redundant luxury was favorited instead big jewels and diamonds. Even buttons returned to be very precious objects, their dimensions improved and they were filled with precious stones of diamonds.
The Grand Tour, that is the learning journey realized by young rich and European artists of the 700 century, brought to a passion for the landscapes that were pictured in boxes, snuff and buttons. Many big artist between the end of 600 and the end of 700, wrestled in the realization of little hand-painted buttons with different composition like seascapes, ashes of old buildings, battles, knights and love scenes.
Buttons in silver, or other precious material, were considered a good economic investment: easy to hide in case of predations, comfortable to take away in case of a sudden escape and, in case of emergency, they can be used instead of money.
The second half of the century was marked by the archeological discoveries, by the bond with the ancientness people starts to create miniature buttons, recalls scenes from the Roman and Greek mythology with different techniques materials. Metallic buttons were used both for civil and military application, at the beginning they were made in different alloys, in silver and gold. In the category of the metallic buttons, the trend of the 700 were the buttons realized with the "cut-steel" technical. Over these types of buttons, were also made buttons in porcelain decorated predominantly by flowers, birds and insects.
Oriental design were probably the most influential among the others, and they are divided into two categories: on one side the trend of the chinoiserie, used already in the first half of 700 century, where follows the style and the themes of the Chinese art, which the "willow pattern" buttons comes from; it is a typical Chinese drawing of architectures and stylized figures.