Bridle Button Rosettes - Vintage Lorinery Collectibles
Lorinery. The craft of making the various parts (usually metal) of a horse's harness. Root word "Lorenier" from Old French which came from the Latin "Lorum" meaning strap or bridle.
Loriner or Lorimer (older). A crafts-person who makes Lorinery and sells it.
Bridle Buttons or Rosettes fall under the category of Lorinery Collecting. These decorative buttons were in common use till the automobile replaced horse drawn vehicles in the early 1900's and were in their heyday during Victorian Times. They are still designed and manufactured today. Mostly decorative, they are used to hold the crown piece and brow band together on a riding or driving pony or horse's bridle. The bridle strap passes through the shank or back loop of the button.
An example of a Victorian Era Bridle Button Rosette. Fond of colourful die-cut images and transfer designs, the Victorians would apply or embed a die-cut or transfer inside or on the back of clear glass, sealed within a brass, copper, or iron backing case.
This die-cut horse rosette has a flat glass face. They were also made with a dome face in glass or lucite.
The back of this horse rosette is iron, showing oxidization (rust) but the shank or back loop is intact.
Bridle button rosettes were almost always made in mirror image pairs for each side of the bridle. Given the rough use a rosette endured, and the age of the collectible Victorian ones, it is rare today to find a matching pair.
Plain brass or copper forged bridle buttons, sometimes with a simple die stamp design are often "dug" treasures, found on American Civil War battlefields, used as tack on the mounted soldiers' horses. This horse button rosette example is a relatively common Civil War Era find with a die stamped heart in the centre.
To match the rosette, buckles were often die stamped to match. Likely "dug" finds, these heart buckles show various condition states with pitting, oxidization and missing pieces. Still, it is a set of four!
An intaglio or possibly transfer foiled brightly coloured lily horse button rosette with a lucite domed face. This rosette's back loop is broken, lost to corrosion.
Bridle button rosettes are often repurposed by crafters into pieces of jewellery. Brooches or pendants are a popular conversion, especially if it is just a single rosette.
Bridle button rosettes can also be found made from bakelite, vegetable ivory, lead, composition, sterling silver, horsehair, rubber, gem stones, French ivory (plastic), enamel, or jet and have many types of material embellishments or decorative finishes.
Featured on this bridle rosette is a lovely silver horse 3D or raised image, perhaps carved, and embedded in a flat glass face with a silvered background. Slight tarnish is evident.
The flat glass face of the button is surprisingly free of scuffs and wear, and the brass back shows very little oxidization or wear with the exception of the slight bend in the backing loop.
The centre of the (modern) British Lorinery Craft is now located in Walsall, England. The oldest Livery Company, pre-dating any other Livery company is in London England. The Worshipful Company of Loriners first ordinances were in 1261. The company was incorporated by a royal charter of 1711 during the reign of Queen Anne. No longer actively manufacturing, the company still administers examinations for students of the trade in the UK. There is a website (under construction). Honourary "Master Loriner" titles are awarded periodically. One such Past Master was Princess Anne for the year 1992-93.
Bridle button collecting is sometimes included on (Sewing) Button Collector's forums or clubs as an off shoot of Antique Button Collecting. Check with any clubs in your own area for details.
Many of the Bridle button rosettes and buckles featured here can be viewed at Mandicrafts! Click HERE for details.
Happy Hunting!
Bear Hugs,
Mandy
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*Some historical information referenced here was found on the Button Collecting site below.
(just click on any of the names)
Mandicrafts Bears and Collectibles Store
Mandicrafts Website
Coollectors Website
Button Collecting Info Site
Treasure Hunters Blog
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