Small Scale, Big Stories: Four Highlights from Beyond the Button

It is easy to overlook a button. Made to fasten a garment and small enough to disappear into the palm of your hand, it is an object we tend to think of as purely functional. But in the hands of a skilled maker, a button can become a miniature painting, a piece of jewelry, or even a record of the design movements and craftsmanship of its time.

That transformation from everyday object to collectible work of art is at the heart of Lion and Unicorn’s Beyond the Button: The Art of Collecting, Day 1, taking place October 27, 2026, live on Bidsquare. Part of a two-day event featuring approximately 850 lots, the auction brings together antique, vintage, and contemporary examples in materials ranging from glass and enamel to metal, pearl, porcelain, ceramic, and more.

Among the breadth of the sale, several lots stand out for the stories they tell about technique, taste, and the remarkable amount of artistry that can be concentrated into such a small format.

Art Nouveau in Miniature (Lot 203)
The bold blue and green of Lot 203, a Division One Art Nouveau-Arts and Crafts enamel button, immediately sets it apart. Dating to the 19th century, the two-color enamel button was made by Piel Frères, the Parisian firm associated with decorative work of the period. Its design has been described as a peacock feather, an especially fitting motif for an era fascinated by nature, fluid lines, and rich color. 

What makes the piece especially appealing is the way a major decorative movement has been distilled into an object measuring little more than an inch. The same fascination with color, ornament, and natural forms found in jewelry, furniture, and architectural details of the period appears here in miniature. Estimated at $600 - $800, it offers a compact introduction to the visual language of Art Nouveau. 

An 18th-Century Scene Under Glass (Lot 360)
Lot 360 takes the idea of the button as a miniature artwork even further. This large 18th-century example features a hand-colored fishing scene painted on vellum and protected beneath glass. Trees frame the landscape, while water, figures, and distant architecture create an unexpectedly expansive scene within a tiny circular format. 

The use of vellum, or parchment, gives the image a distinctive surface and texture. The auction includes two related fishing scenes from a larger set, making the button part of a broader decorative narrative rather than an isolated image. From the collection of the late Jeff Lee of Ohio, the lot carries an estimate of $1,500 - $3,000.

An Enamel Marine Scene (Lot 423)
One of the strongest examples of traditional craftsmanship in the sale is Lot 423, a rare Division One enamel button dating to the 18th century. The button depicts a detailed marine scene incorporating figures, architecture, and water against a softly colored ground. Around the edge, an ornate border of gold paillons gives the piece an almost jewel-like finish. 

The enamel was finely hand-polished to create a smooth, glass-like surface, while the painting itself is executed on remarkably thin enamel mounted to a gilded brass back. It is one of two examples in the auction originating from a larger set of nine, with each button depicting a different scene. Estimated at $2,000 - $3,000, it is a reminder that buttons could serve as vehicles for some surprisingly sophisticated decorative work. 

A Vernis Martin Sporting Button (Lot 434)
For collectors drawn to sporting subjects, Lot 434 offers a beautifully detailed horse rendered on shell. Dating to the 19th century, the button is hand-painted in the Vernis Martin style, a French decorative tradition associated with lacquer-like finishes and painted ornament on objects ranging from boxes to furniture. 

Here, that tradition is translated to an unusually intimate scale. The horse’s head is carefully modeled, while the natural iridescence of the shell changes as the button catches the light. The auction house notes that very few buttons can be attributed to this particular style and that this is one of the final two examples from a group offered across previous sales. The estimate is $1,500 - $2,000.

Collecting Art by the Inch

What makes Beyond the Button so engaging is its ability to shift our sense of scale. These objects may have been created for garments, but their makers employed many of the same techniques found in painting, jewelry, metalwork, and the decorative arts.

Across enamel, vellum, shell, glass, and metal, the auction reveals how much history and creativity can be contained in just a few inches. For longtime button collectors, the sale offers rare opportunities to add specialized examples to established collections. For newcomers, it makes an equally compelling case for looking more closely at an object that is easy to underestimate.

Lion and Unicorn’s Beyond the Button: The Art of Collecting, Day 1 takes place October 27, 2026, with live bidding available on Bidsquare.com.