Oh Dear, Oh Doctor!

On my Google travels yesterday, I came across this rare pair of 18th century German pictorial surgeon's cloak buttons, which are going under the hammer at Bonhams on 9th Nov 2011. Not only is the estimate value enough to make you raise your eyebrows (£700-£900), but so is the subject matter!
Sale 19035 (Item 101) - Fine Mechanical Music and Scientific Instruments, 9 Nov 2011,
Bonhams, Knightsbridge. (Estimate: £700-900, €810 - 1,000)
The first button shows a scene of a doctor administering an enema to a patient in a bedroom interior, with a sleigh bed & chamber pot in view, the second shows a patient using chamber pot with the doctor standing over him with the enema under the bed drapes! Each of the buttons are hollow nickel metal with rolled stud construction to verso and are 1.1/8in (2.8cm) diameter.
It's such a bizarre image to portray on Buttons, I wonder what the Surgeon, who wore these on his coat, was like? He must have liked to raise an eyebrow or 2!

Comments

  1. WHAT!!! and the first looks like a witch ... how very Halloween themed with a twist..... eek !!

    Lorraine :-}

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  2. I to have the same exact set of button the clasp on the back flips up and there's a patent number and date on both in very small fine in graving also on the stem price of the back clasp on the before is the initials O.M. and the other stem peice on the after has a upside down horse shoe with a four leaf clover in the middle. Could it of belonged to someone in the order of merit? Any advise on a good appraisal spot or reliable perfessional auctions? I believed they belonged to some one more important then the normal man

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    Replies
    1. The buttons in the post were sold at Bonhams Auctions in London, so if you have similair buttons, which have a very high value then my suggestion would be to send a couple of photos of your buttons to a reputable auction house, with a link to this blog post?

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