Knowing my Swiss heritage, Gina sent a button that came, long ago, from a regional Swiss costume like the ones shown below.
One of the many things that makes the antique button special is that a close inspection of the filigree work reveals that it was all handmade. I'm delighted to have it in my collection! Thanks again, Gina!
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely (and very appropriate) gift, and so intricate.
I have a question: How big is it?
A happy May Day to you!
Kirk
Dear Kirk,
DeleteThe button is quite 3-dimensional. It measures ¾" across and almost ½" high.
Happy May Day to you!
And on a cloudless summer Sunday after Church, those flat diamond shapes would (I imagine) glitter in the sun and catch the eye of possible suitors!
DeleteI see that May Day has gotten to you, Kirk!
DeleteHi Mark, Sometimes in the rush of things we forget to look at you Button of the Month. This one is truly special, from its intricate workmanship to its relation to your background to the generosity and friendship it embodies as a gift.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jim,
DeleteAs I've mentioned to Gina, I've never been to Switzerland, so I am especially touched to have little pieces of it find their way to me!
Dear Mark, I remember the day well, almost forty years ago, somewhere in Switzerland and a beautiful antiques shop, filled with lovely objects from the past. I was told that the button was hand made and that it once adorned a going-to-church-on-a-Sunday special dress. I thought that you might like to have something from the country from which your family originated.
ReplyDelete... and I certainly do! I can just imagine what that shop must have been like; antiquity is seen from such a different perspective in Europe. And now antique dealers are lowering the definition to include years in my own lifetime — yikes!
DeleteThanks again, Gina.
It is a lovely button Mark and sits very well on your sidebar for the month of May.
ReplyDeleteGina is a very generous and thoughtful blogger to many of us, and I like the way she has now included it's history for you.
I know I have said this before, but you really should try and visit Switzerland - you would love it.
I know that I would — I listened to so many of my grandmother's stories (she was a great story-teller) that I sometimes feel as though I actually have been there. I would especially like to visit the Bern Cathedral, which has several windows that my ancestors donated.
Delete