Description:

A rare pair of 18k+ gold sleeve buttons, William Breed, Boston, circa 1750.
Each link with an octagonal and a circular button. The circular buttons engraved with a tulip motif. The octagonal buttons with an abstract tree and scrolls. All buttons are line engraved with rolled edges. The links are in sound condition with no cracks or breaks. The marks are on each octagonal button; "WB" twice on one and the other showing the "W**". Boston is the predominant source of surviving mid-18th century American gold sleeve buttons. They were obviously an 'in vogue' wardrobe item during that period. Of the eleven pairs listed in the Yale University Art Gallery exhibition catalogue, "American Gold 1700-1860", Peter J. Bohan, ten pairs of gold sleeve buttons are from Boston. It is therefore not surprising that this pair are also by a Boston goldsmith. Of the modest amount of surviving work by William Breed cited in Patricia Kane's "Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers", 1998, there are no gold articles. Strong magnification will yield a clear confirmation of the marks. Also see the gold buttons, circa 1750, by Boston silversmith James Butler in "American Silver at Winterthur", Ian M.G. Quimby, 1995, pg. 70 for the almost exact engraving of a stylized tree and scrolls.

Provenance: Richard Archer Collection, Pittsburgh, PA; Jonathan Trace, Portsmouth, NH; Doris Frohnsdorff, Charleston, SC.

  • Dimensions: Total approximate weight 2.3 dwt.
  • Condition: Fine.

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May 21, 2025 12:00 PM EDT
East Moriches, NY, US

South Bay Auctions Inc

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