Kingdom of Württemberg Imperial Era State Official Uniform Button Pair
This is a matched subject pair of large Imperial-era uniform buttons from the Königreich Württemberg (Kingdom of Württemberg), each displaying the royal Württemberg coat of arms used during the nineteenth century and throughout the Kaiserreich. Each button measures approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. The pair consists of two distinct finish variants, one silver-toned and the other with a warmer brass or gilt-toned appearance. Both buttons are strongly convex and constructed with separate metal backs and fixed loop shanks for attachment to a uniform garment. The faces are struck in relief with the crowned royal arms of Württemberg. At center is the vertically divided shield incorporating the historic Württemberg stag-antler device and the lions of Swabia. The shield is flanked by the traditional supporters of the kingdom, a lion and stag, beneath the Württemberg royal crown. A ribbon or scroll is incorporated beneath the arms in the usual manner of the royal achievement. The coat of arms represented on these buttons was adopted in simplified form under King Wilhelm I in 1817 and remained the principal arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg through the end of the monarchy. One half of the shield carries the three stag antlers long associated with the House and territory of Württemberg, while the other contains the three lions associated with historic Swabia. The kingdom's motto was "Furchtlos und trew," meaning "Fearless and faithful" or "Fearless and loyal." The spelling "trew" reflects the historical form used in the royal arms. Württemberg became one of the four kingdoms incorporated into the German Empire established in 1871, alongside Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony. Although Prussia dominated the military and political structure of the empire, Württemberg retained its own king, court, state institutions and considerable administrative identity. This independence was expressed visually through state heraldry, royal ciphers and distinctive uniform insignia worn by government officials, court personnel and other state employees. These large armorial buttons are associated with the extensive system of formal state and court uniforms used throughout the German monarchies before 1918. German civil servants and royal household personnel commonly wore prescribed uniforms according to office, department and rank, with buttons carrying either the sovereign's cipher or the arms of the individual state. The elaborate full royal arms seen here are therefore characteristic of official or court-related dress rather than ordinary enlisted military tunic buttons. Without the original garments or further provenance, a more specific department or wearer cannot presently be established. The two buttons are particularly useful together because they demonstrate variations in finish and manufacture within Württemberg state uniform insignia. The silver-toned example has a finely textured ground and particularly crisp relief to the crown, shield and supporters. The second example has a darker, warmer brass-toned outer surface with a lighter metal reverse plate. Its reverse carries a partially legible manufacturer's quality marking including "EXTRA FEIN," translated as "extra fine," a common German designation indicating a higher grade of manufacture. The remaining maker information is indistinct and cannot presently be read with sufficient confidence to expand. Both retain their loop shanks. The surfaces show honest age and service wear, including rubbing to the high points, scattered oxidation, toning and small areas of discoloration. The silver-toned button retains particularly strong definition, while the brass-toned example exhibits a more subdued, naturally aged surface. The reverse plates show scratches, patination and oxidation appropriate to their age. Neither example has been aggressively cleaned, preserving the period character of the metal surfaces. Large Imperial German state-official buttons are an interesting collecting field in their own right and provide a useful window into the elaborate civilian and court uniform culture of the individual German monarchies. For the Württemberg collector, this pair offers two attractive variants displaying the complete royal heraldic identity of one of the German Empire's four kingdoms.