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Articles
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| Satsuma Buttons |
| Button Artist Nikki Deal |
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| Table of Contents |
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| Satsuma Buttons |
| Button Artist Nikki Deal |
| Satsuma Buttons... by Dr. Stefan O. Schiff |
Since the Japanese wore no buttons, none were made until export trade with the West was established. This occurred by treaty in 1868, fifteen years after Admiral Perry was allowed to anchor his ship in Tokyo harbor and begin negotiations. Japanese ceramics became popularized at the Vienna Exposition in 1873, and it was probably not until this time or shortly thereafter that the first Satsuma buttons were made. In fact, many were probably made not in Satsuma Province, but in Kyoto, from whence they were sent to Tokyo for hand-decorating and export.
Several firings in a kiln were required to complete a button. First, the button was fired to establish a permanent shape. A second firing of 48 hours was needed to produce the glaze. The button was then painted and returned to the kiln for slow heating. The most perfect products required a separate firing for each color. A final firing was needed for the raised gold encrustation found on the older buttons.
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Initially all painting and decorating was executed by hand, and no stencils were used. Almost all of the buttons had self-shanks with two holes. A few were set in a silver-like metal, (pak-tong) but many of those set in silver which are found in our collections started out as belt buckles or hat pins, and were later converted into buttons. This is especially true of the larger specimens. Gold colored metal was rarely used.
The most important determinant of age is the care with which the design was executed. The earlier buttons will show much more painstaking and detailed work than the later ones. Encrustations of gold are characteristic of the older types: they stand out from the surface and can be readily felt as well as seen. Buttons of more recent origin often lack the small gold stipplings that characterize the background of the older buttons. Even if they are present, they are usually dabbled on with less care, as are other gilded portions.
The colors on the earlier samples are soft and mellow, with blue, red, green, rust and gold predominating. The more recent techniques employ aniline dyes which produce harsher colors and introduce more garish ones, like and offensive violet. Usually, but not always, the buttons with cobalt or dark green rims are considered to be older. The Tokyo school made heavy use of gold and black. One of the best determinants of age is the color in which the design is outlined: The earliest outlines were black; gold outlines date from ca. 1905, and white and yellow outlines, which frequently blend with the background, from 1915 on. In general, good work was done until about 1926, after which the craftsmanship deteriorates progressively.
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It has been stated that the crackles on the more modern buttons are coarser and longer. The author examined almost 100 buttons, and found this generally to hold true, although a few 3exceptions were noted. One must remember that the crackling process is the direct result of the rate of heating and heat distribution in the hand-regulated kilns, which was difficult to control.
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Several authors have correlated the age of buttons with the presence or absence of backmarks. This is probably based on the fact that paper labels were permitted on export items after 1891, and these of course were washed off. The most common backmark found is and "x" in a circle, the crest of the House of Satsuma. Other marks include the symbols for prosperity, gold, felicity, happiness, and long life. In fact, none of these backmarks can be used to ascertain age. They were easy to duplicate, and many enterprising businessmen simply marked on the back of their own products the trademark of a person whose work was, or had been, highly regarded.
The last important item to consider in dating is the shank. The oldest Satsuma buttons had a shank designed to be pierced by a curved needle, and it did not protrude from the back of the buttons. Since the curved needles were not popular in the West, the shanks were changed to accommodate a straight needle. Moreover, with the passage of time, the shanks protruded higher and higher from the back of the button, and their edges became sharper and sharper. It is stated that some buttons made before 1890 had triangular wires fastened through the shanks, but the author has never seen one.
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In the botanical category, most of the subjects depict symbols of Japanese values and religious philosophy. Some of the more common plants and their symbolic meanings are:
The people most often seen are women, with old men coming in a distant second. The women, which may appear singly or in groups, usually represent noblewomen or courtesans (geishas). The old men may be associated with fables or legends, and sometime represent gods. In the latter category, the one most frequently depicted is Kasuga, the half-Taoist, half-Buddhist god of fortune, usually shown with a shaved head and a bag over his shoulder. Children are occasionally depicted at play, usually in the company or a woman. Rarely a warrior lord or Samurai will appear.
Scenes are quite limited in motif. The most common includes a view of Mount Fuji. Thatched huts or pagodas are not uncommon, and neither are sailboats. The author has one small button that shows ocean waves cresting below a red sun.
The most frequently found animals are birds, butterflies and dragons. Among the birds, favorites are cranes and small songbirds. The Japanese dragon, Ryujin Sama, is a symbol of good luck, long life, and protection against misfortune. On some of the oldest buttons, some examples of other animals may be found, including a phoenix, quail, fish and a tortoise with a hairy tail. Many other animals common and popular in the West are found on buttons of recent manufacture, and most are poorly done.
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It should be mentioned that another type of Japanese ceramic button which is often confused with Satsumas is the Kutani, meaning "Nine Valleys" named after a village in Kagu Province. Ceramics have been made here since the 16th Century, but not buttons were produced until the 20th Century. The decorations and designs are a mixture of Arita and Satsuma. The glaze is pure white, there is no crackling, and gold encrustations never appear.
Thank you to Dr. Stefan O. Schiff, 2nd Vice President, National Button Society, Member Martha Washington Button Club -- ed.
| Button Artist Nikki Deal Chats with Mary J. Whitaker |
This article is the first in a series of interviews with studio button artists by Mary J. Whitaker. Thanks Mary J! -- ed.Button Studio Artist Nikki Deal is a semi-retired graphic designer who has been creating studio buttons for collectors for a couple years. She majored in art and also studied at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, CA. She continues her education by constantly trying new techniques. "I have always experimented with materials on my own, especially with paper sculpture, which is one of the techniques I use for buttons," Nikki says.
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Nikki begins with an idea, and then starts manipulating paper however she needs to. "With paper sculpture, it is a matter of designing the item, cutting the paper, folding, bending or shaping it where needed and gluing the pieces into place," she says. In the final steps, Nikki thoroughly coats the button with an acrylic glaze to protect it and glues on a plastic shank.
In the designing process, the part she most enjoys is the moment during assembly when the design begins to take shape.
Nikki ‘builds’ a button using great care, and many steps. "With the paper buttons there is a cardboard base and then layers of any other papers that catch my eye, such as handmade Japanese papers, fine corrugated paper, parchments, etc." Nikki is also working with polymer clay, "trying to use some different techniques from the usual."
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Of the type of designs that Nikki incorporates into her buttons, she prefers animals, but will work with a client on different designs. Nikki is currently working on a website, but can be contacted by email at blkglass@ix.netcom.com.