Wheel Buttons

My dear husband came across this portrait and shared it with me. It's dated to after 1560 and shows a fairly typical for the period, black on black male outfit.

 

https://collections.ashmolean.org/object/372290

BUT, check out the buttons!  There are three openings in the front, and all have buttons.

When you zoom in, the buttons seem to be a flat, open, woven wheel.  This is the first example of this type of button I've seen in this time period.  Now, I shall try to make some.

To make this type of button, you must have a closed ring.  I got some knitting markers in two sizes to start with. 

My first attempt (in gold) used cotton perl and 8 spokes.  8 or more spokes was common when this type of button was popular in the 17th-18th centuries. 

However, the portrait shows 6 spokes.  So, for my second attempt (light grey), I used a heavier weight cotton perl, thinking that a heavier thread might be easier to do fewer spokes.

The third and final attempt (grey) of the evening uses the smaller ring size and a buttonhole silk.

These were fairly easy to make and there are videos available if you want to try one yourself.

Now, I'm not as familiar with the history of buttons as some, but this type of button is commonly known today as a Dorset ring button.  However, the Dorset button industry (supposedly) started after 1622 when Abraham Case returned from fighting in Europe where he was introduced button making.  If true, this implies that these techniques were already known in Europe before 1620.  So, that would make the buttons in this portrait the predecessor of what we know today as the Dorset ring button.  It's definitely the earliest I've seen this type of button.  Pretty cool!