Name/Title
Four red enameled buttons on gilt metal, squared form with pierced deviceEntry/Object ID
2025.1.420Description
Four matching buttons, square with strongly rounded corners, slightly domed in profile.
Face: a recessed field filled with opaque red vitreous or resinous material, framed by a raised gilt border following the outline. A raised gilt device crosses the field: a stem descending the full height, with a closed rectangular bowl on its right at upper-middle, forming a squared P. The bowl is pierced through the button and crossed by a horizontal gilt bar, leaving two open slots. The recessed metal lines around the device and inside the border read dark brown to black.
Reverse: plain gilt, unornamented, with a raised rectangular pad at center carrying a transverse slotted shank for sewing. A faint line crosses the reverse through the shank pad, consistent with a casting or die seam. No lettering, mark, or number on any reverse.Use
Sewing materials of María A. Arús CaraballoCollection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, María A. Arús Caraballo collectionMaterials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Body: gilt metal over an undetermined base, probably brass or a zinc alloy.
Fill: ⚠️ Undetermined, but probably a resin, cold enamel, or plastic rather than fired vitreous enamel, INFERRED from the uneven discoloration described above. Confirm under a loupe: fired enamel is glassy and chips conchoidally; resin is softer, may show a meniscus at the metal edge, and takes a scratch that catches a fingernail.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
María A. Arús CaraballoRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
September 1, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
September 3, 2026
