Thursday, May 21, 2015

There's a Place In France... (Part 1)

The title to this month's blog?  Yeah...Sorry about that... No naked French ladies dancing here, so if that's what you came in for... move along).  That's just the school yard song I kept hearing while I was trying to figure this button out (well, my head song was the cleaner version with Alligators I swear!) LOL! Now, it's a brain worm I can't get rid of... *sigh*

I am trying to figure out a place in France though!
Yet another button that makes me go HMMMMMMMM.
Welcome to another button mystery that is bugging me.  I hate not knowing WHY something is on a button. Sometimes you just know it's just decorative or an artfully expressed design and nothing more.

Sometimes you just know it's something just a bit more special.  Pictorial buttons can be fun and interesting.  When I get one, I want to know if a button is a famous person, a place where something famous happened or if it is a commemoration of sorts of some special period in time.

But first... Let's start with a quiz!  What do you see on this button?
We'll talk more about the above button, and see how you did at the end of the blog.

Back to the Hmmm portion of this blog.  Today I'm trying to figure out these big beautiful buttons which feature a Lion in the design.


As they looked when they came out of the mail box.
I was searching the Interwebz for more interesting Lion buttons for my collection after recently purchasing a wonderful large brass Lioness head button.  I had never seen these buttons before, so had to have them!  I felt lucky they were on their way to Arizona.

I waited impatiently as the set of 5 traveled to my home in Surprise, Arizona all the way from Rueil-Malmaison, France.  They are a whopping 2" in diameter.

Side view. Two pieces. Very thin base, thick, reverse pinned molded decorative top piece.
Brass swaged in shank.
Yes!  Swag and Swedge are an OLD button term used by manufacturers
Most surprising was the unusual color differences/changes between all 
5 examples, both on the backs and the back.
One button was really light colored on the back, 

while the remaining 4 were dark, almost black.

Front color compared to back (original) color.
Note the arrow under the Lion's feet.  Symbolism?!  Great molded detail on this button.
These have a 2-piece construction.  The large top decorative Lion is pinned with 2 metal pins through the reverse.  The back is shiny, the fronts were a bit scratched and were more of a matte when compared to the backs. They seem light for their extra large size.

Did you know?  The Lion has been a common emblem to symbolize bravery, valor, strength and royalty.  After all, the Lion is known as the King of Beasts. 

WHAT I DO KNOW

A brass metal version of this same Lion design is shown on Plate 106 (#11) page 276 of the (old version) Big Book of buttons as:

A Brass stamped in high relief, applied to a one piece, concave button which has a horizontally ribbed surface.  Applied steels form a sunburst behind the lion and a border under the tablet.  The whole is suggestive of a piece of statuary, with the symbolic olive and palm branches below. Scarce.  $35.00 (a hefty price 1981!).

The metal button also shows up in Viviane Beck Ertell's book The Colorful World of Buttons on Plate 28, but nothing is noted about it at all.  I've jumped through loads of my old button books (which are great for browsing, but terrible to locate anything).  Nothing that looks remotely like my French lovelies.

So I search the Interwebz.  I found the same scarce metal button I saw in the BBB currently being offered for sale for $450.00 from Robin Larner at her Etsy site.  I messaged her and she's given me permission to use the photo so anyone without a Big Book can see him (and maybe buy him!) and we can compare the design.  Thanks Robin!
What a gorgeous metal button!
Image courtesy of
(and Copyright by) RC Larner.


Hmmmmm (and more hmmmm).  Well, my buttons obviously are not metal, but they are the exact same face design as the molded brass Lion (minus the cut steels).  I can't help but think that my group of 5 are also very scare buttons, maybe even more so due to the odd (non-metal) material.  I have a good idea what they are.  More on that, later...

I also start to think that a positive identification as statuary was truly lacking back in 1981 when the description was first written in the BBB.  I'm also really surprised that the button wasn't identified as any specific place by the early collectors who seemed eager to identify picture buttons in the early years of button collecting.

The description wasn't changed in the new edition of the BBB.  I called a friend to confirm it, since my new copy isn't here yet (well, because Mr. Handbasket hasn't asked me what I am buying myself for our Anniversary in June yet *evil grin*).

I remember the very common button that pictures the Lion of Lucerne.  Seems that you can't grab a handful of buttons in a poke box and not get one.  This button causes more measles for new collectors who put it on a competition tray as an animal.  The measle (competition disqualification) is received, because the Lion of Lucerne is pictorial representation of a MONUMENT/STATUE (Section 20-1, Architectural Structures/Scenes) and is not an animal/Lion. Once you get a competition measle for using the Lion of Lucerne, you'll never forget what this button is (ask me how I know.... L is for Lion?  No, L IS FOR LOSER!  LOL).


The Lion of Lucerne.  Lucerne, Switzerland.
This mortally wounded Lion commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.  It is said to be the most beautiful and moving piece of stone in the world.
It's a great story!  Go Google it or at least find what Mark Twain said about it.
Antique metal button picturing the Lion of Lucerne.
Move this button away from your animal cards and 
to your Architectural Structures card RIGHT NOW!  
Go on... I'll wait for you.  LOL!
 Since I think my buttons will be similar to the Lion of Lucerne... that's where I start, looking for statues.  So... off I go to do some research.

I *HEART* GOOGLE

Yes, I love you Google.  I can't imagine having to leave my house, go slog through the Library and try to find information.  You make my button collecting exciting and research fun.  I find buttons from around the world that I would have never known about without YOU.  Consider this my official thank you (and I won't go into what I don't like about you today. *grin*)



Did you know?  If you type "Tilt" or "Askew" into the Google search box and hit return, it will give you a tilted page view.  Yup, go do it (or torment a co-worker by leaving it on their computer screen). *snickers*


I Got A Bad Case of the Googles  

Well, I know they flew over to Arizona from France (and boy, are their arms tired! OW!  OKAY! I'll stop!) and the seller wasn't a button collector, so I doubt that they started off life in the United States, so the country of France is where I think I need to start my research.  I start with some simple keywords:

1)  Lion, Statue, France - I search pictures first:  Yikes.  Lions with water squirting out of various orifices, hanging out in city centers with Pigeons on their head and people taking photos with them. I think there is a Lion statue or fountain in each city of every country.  I scan through them all to see if I can find something that looks a bit similar in the way the Lion is sitting.

And BINGO! There he is!  Well, it's not a statue, it's a MONUMENT, well, monumental SCULPTURE!

"Do these little people make my butt look big?"


Note the arrow under the paw, just above the year.

Le Lion de Belfort (The Lion of Belfort)

Well, that was quick!  For a change!  LOL!!  Now to get some info on it.

This massive and fierce looking work of art is symbolic of the French Resistance against the Prussians during the grueling 103 day Prussian assault of the city of Belfort at the end of the Franco-Prussian war.  This period is known as the Siege of Belfort (December 1870 through February 1871). With only 3,500 military fighters, the city was outnumbered by the 40,000 invading Prussians. Approximately 14,000 civilians joined in the battle to protect and save their city.  Belfort only surrendered the city when they were finally directed to do so by the French government.  It was one of the few cities which remained French whereas other parts were annexed to Germany.

The pink sandstone sculpture was designed by renown artist, sculptor, and former officer during the Franco-Prussian War, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.  

This beautiful monument to the siege was conceived during a period where the city of Belfort (located in North-Eastern France, near the border of both Germany and Switzerland) was still occupied.  The city council wanted a small monument to be erected at the cemetery to recognize those who had lost their lives.  Bartholdi, a native of Colmar, who's native region was annexed, was greatly affected by the occupation and annexation and was enthusiastic about the project, though he had a slightly grander vision in mind for the monument.  He envisioned a Lion carved out of the Citadel that would be "harassed, cornered and terrible still in its fury."  His design was accepted, money was raised, and the design underwent several changes so that it would depict "energetic defense" rather than convey glory or defeat due to the occupation at the time.

Originally designed to face East to Prussia, the monument was actually constructed to face in the opposite direction after German protests.  In 1880 it was completed and it watches over the city of Belfort symbolizing the strength and pride of its citizens.  Today, as it was then, it is a major attraction for visitors.

Frédéric Bartholdi is probably best known for his design of our own symbol of American freedom, Liberty Enlightening the World (or as we all know it today, The Statue of Liberty).
Frédéric Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty and the Lion of Belfort.  
Bartholdi died in 1904 in Paris of Tuberculosis.
I also searched through the NBS website's copies of the Bulletin and looked for any reference to Belfort (none) and the Lion, and also through all Just Buttons issues they have (also zippo).

THE LION BUTTONS

Well, I'm left to my own devices here.  LOL  IMHO the buttons probably date anywhere from 1875-1910.  It's possible that they were made during the period of time after the conception of the design/when construction started and the cost of the monument required major fundraising, so perhaps items like the buttons were made for sale to raise money.  The Belfort monument was completed in 1880, and there would have been interest in commemorative pieces and for the enterprising button manufacturers there was money to be made from the image (1880-1910).  It only makes sense to date the buttons as Division I, like we already know their metal cousins are.

The button's design actually shows the Lion on a plinth (block or stone supporting a statue, pillar, etc.).  Another interesting thing I noticed is that the branches of leaves under the plinth appear to be two different types of plant.  Upon magnification, you can see that one is Laurel (symbol of glory and victory) and one is Oak (symbol of wisdom and long life).  I looked up the various National Emblems of France and the Laurel and Oak branches were used during the French Third Republic from 1870 until 1940.  It changed briefly from 1940-1944 and then they were again incorporated in a slightly different designs and both continue to be used today.

It just goes to show you, one shouldn't take a MARBLEOUS pictorial button for GRANITE... (get it?  Marble?  Statue?  Granite?  OW!  OKAY!  I'll stop!).

So, my Lion buttons will be classed as 20-1 Architectural Structures and/or Scenes and as a Statue or Monument button, and NOT as an animal/Lion.  I think that now when I look at a Lion button, it will give me PAWS for thought if it could be a statue, sculpture or monument. *Runs Away*


Rats!  So, they won't be living with my pride of other Lion buttons or be used on any animal trays! Okay, I can live with that... after all, I'd say these were still quite a find.


But what are they made of?  

*scratches head*
This is my least favorite part of research.  It is so easy to get it wrong when something is black or brown.  I have a pretty good idea, so next time, we'll talk MATERIALS of the era, and I'll consider each of the common moldable materials available during the period of time that I believe they were made along with photos of other known buttons, testing and the *exciting* conclusion.

In the mean time... Do you have a guess?  What do YOU think they are?  Leave a guess in the comments section.  Maybe you have this button?  If so, I'd LOVE to hear about it!

So, there we have it.  A new name for a newly found version of a scarce button (The Lion of Belfort - well, that's what I'm calling them from now on!).  I confidently place them as Division I (pre 1918), the same as their metal cousins shown above.

Gotta love that there is another button that now that is identified as to the reason for the pictorial, a place, time (and soon, the material), though some of you may not love that this button will now also get a measle like the Lion of Lucerne if used on an animal tray.  Sorrrreeeeeeey LOL

Time for the Quiz answer.  Did you know what that button was?  Well, don't feel bad.  I had a hunch after thinking about the Lion of Belfort, and of course, looked up this button too.


Yup, an architectural structure.  But which one?  The Lions of Ashoka, or the Lion Capitol (the uppermost part of a column) of Ashoka.  It was originally placed atop the Asoka pillar at the Sarnath by Emperor Ashoka in 250 BCE and is now in the Sarnath Museum.  The capitol design is actually of four Lions, but of course, only 3 can be seen at one time....  Yeah...  Isn't this FUN?


Button collecting, oh the places these small treasures will take you!  Seems I trip down new roads and reinforce some things I had forgotten each time I add a new unusual button to my collection.  Today I learned a little more about a Country I have (yet) to visit (it's on the Bucket List!) and I learned something new about a time in history that I probably slept through (or ditched) in History class.

I also reminded myself that what you see on a button may not be what you think you are getting! *rolls eyes and signs*  But, remember, they're YOUR buttons, and you can display them how you want to.  However...If you want to compete at button shows...you need to know this stuff!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!  Feel free to share this blog's URL and give links to button clubs, FaceBook and forums.  Got a button question?  Interested in collecting buttons?  Looking for a local button club to join?  Find an old button and want more information?  Just ask!  Always happy to help.

Hope to see you back for Part II when I'll still be going through the process of identifying the material of the Lion of Belfort.  I'll be looking at closely at the buttons, talking about the materials of that time period, smelling (and maybe tasting them!  yeah...) and share all the steps I use to identify them. Care to join me?  I have a testing job for you... guess which one.  LOL.
Cheers,
Vicky 
P.S.  Yup, Hellen is gone, and I'm BAAAACK!  By the way, if you bookmarked my blog, the url has changed!

P.S.S. Did you know that an angel came down to earth once and gave two statues a wish?  They chose the gift of life for 30 minutes.  The two statues went behind the bushes for 15 minutes, and after much rustling about came back out smiling.  The angel told them they still had 15 minutes left.  One statue asked the other if they wanted to do it again.  The other statue said "Sure, but this time you hold down the pigeon and let me crap on it's head!"

P.S.S.Ssssss If you were interested in the Wooton Buttons, I've updated it several times with more pictures of some new Wooton buttons (thanks to many Button Bytes members).  If you follow my blog by email or Google Plus (up above and to the right of the blog) you'll get notices of new posts and updates.