Oval Silver Button of Clasped Hands

An oval silver button cast as a pair of clasped hands, this piece takes a gesture of friendship or union as its entire subject, a small figural conceit Spratling worked across several formats. The design dates to the first period, 1931 to 1946.

The clasped-hands motif was made in two sizes and in a version pairing silver with copper hands, and the same design was carried into cuff links and a round button, the kind of cross-format reuse typical of the early workshop. The use of contrasting copper alongside silver reflects Spratling's interest in playing materials against one another.

A modest fastening that doubles as a figural ornament, it shows how the workshop spun a single motif into a small family of objects.