20L Set of Eight Victorian Bohemian Polychrome Enamel Shank Buttons, 1/2"

This set of eight small Victorian buttons is truly astounding in person, with their inky black glossy fronts featuring delicate polychrome painted designs: clusters of tiny pastel pink, light blue, and gold dots or floral motifs arranged in a rosette pattern, set against a raised or scalloped black border for added Victorian elegance.

Each button measures approximately 20 lignes (20L), or 12.7mm / 1/2 inch — a classic small size perfect for blouses, dresses, lingerie, or children's garments from the late 19th century.

These are painted metal buttons (not glass fronts): the face is a thin metal disc (likely brass or similar) with a high-gloss black enamel or lacquer base, hand-painted or decorated with applied gold accents and pastel enamel dots for a jewel-like effect. This construction—painted metal face on metal back—is a hallmark of Victorian-era production (roughly 1870s–1890s), where metal buttons were enameled and embellished to mimic more expensive materials like enamel-on-gold or jeweled pieces.

The shank is an integral raised cone self-shank. It is pressed directly from the steel back piece and includes central thread holes for secure sewing. This exact style was standard for mid-to-late Victorian brass buttons from the 1870s to 1890s.

Produced in the Jablonec (Gablonz) area of Bohemia (now Czech Republic), a world-renowned center for button manufacturing starting in the 1700s–1800s and peaking in the Victorian period. Bohemian factories exported vast quantities of such decorative metal and glass buttons to Europe and America, often with intricate hand-painted or enameled designs in black with gold and pastel colors.

While many Bohemian buttons are black glass (with painted or lustered surfaces), these painted metal examples fit the era's trend for affordable yet ornate "bijou" items, sometimes called "Emaux Peints" style (hand-painted enamel over metal, attributed to Bohemia even if marketed as French).

They qualify as antique (Victorian/pre-1900) and fall under National Button Society (NBS) Division I (old/antique buttons), likely in the Metals section or Enamels (for painted/enameled metal), or as Other Material Embellishment (OME) if considering the polychrome accents as enhancements on metal base.

Measure approximately 20L, 20 lignes, 12.7 mm, or 1/2".

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