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Who Was Ludovicus Rex?

7/16/2012

43 Comments

 
by Michelle Drummey

Sometimes a big mystery can come in a small package. Museum Textile Services recently acquired a jar of 20th-century buttons to aid in conservation treatments, such as replacing missing buttons from garments. Of all the buttons, a single one has inspired curiosity in the MTS team. 
Picture
Front of MTS button
Crafted from what appears to be thin brass-colored metal, the stamped face of the hollow button bears an image of two figures surrounding a crown atop a crest or shield. Circling the image is text reading, “LUDOVICUS REX PLURES NON CAPIT ORBIS,” which translates as, “There is no room in the world for more than one King Ludovicus.” While this button is clearly modern, I wondered if it is a reproduction of an older design. As it turns out, these buttons are popping up throughout Europe, as well as in in Russia and the United States. The internet is abuzz with button collectors and even numismatists trying to figure out who King Ludovicus was.
Picture
A similar, and apparently older button from a Polish website.
The challenge is that the Latin name Ludovicus can translate into a number of names, including Louis, Ludwig, or even Luigi. Ironically, while the button states that there can only be one King Ludovicus, history says otherwise, as Kings bearing various forms of the name Louis reigned across Europe, as far back as the time of Charlemagne.
Picture
Heraldic Crest of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Although I’m no expert on buttons or European heraldry, the image encircled by the text may be the key. At the very center of the button are three cross-like shapes within an emblem resembling a crest, topped by a crown. After comparing our button to other examples, it seems that those three shapes may actually be fleurs-de-lis. I discovered that our button actually looks a lot like the insignia of French monarchy during the 17th and 18th centuries. An almost identical motif can be seen in this photograph of a carved ceiling at Versailles.
Picture
Similar imagery within a gilded ceiling at Versailles. Photo by Tara Bradford.
It appears, therefore, that Ludovicus Rex may refer to King Louis of France...but there was more than one King Louis, of course. The Palace of Versailles, where the above image above was taken, was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790, included Louis XIII through Louis XVI. 

Still, some researchers claim that the King referred to on our button was King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who notably built the castle which stood as inspiration for the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle of Disney fame. Will we ever know who King Ludovicus is? Perhaps one day, with the help of specialists, we may.  
Picture
20th-century, cast aluminum button.
If you are interested in learning more about buttons you can contact a society dedicated to the collection and preservation of buttons such as the National Button Society or visit one of the numerous museums dedicated to them, such as the Waterbury Button Museum in Connecticut.
43 Comments
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9/27/2012 05:38:37 pm

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10/2/2012 09:24:06 pm

This will be cool go for it I will use it. Thank You

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10/8/2012 05:31:53 pm

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International Business link
11/25/2012 07:50:23 pm

Thanks for sharing. i really appreciate it that you shared with us such a informative post

Reply
Nora MacDonald
2/28/2013 09:33:33 am

Interesting reading, especially for lovers of languages---thank you!

Reply
Peter - Sweden
3/16/2013 10:54:48 pm

I have one looking exactly the same..

Reply
Toby
4/17/2013 04:15:47 am

I have a cape from Germany that my mother bought me in 1962 all the buttons are the intact and are those buttons.

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Benedicte
4/20/2013 06:48:45 pm

I have that button..

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Paul SE Pennsylvania,USA
8/12/2013 09:18:31 am

Thanks for the info. I found one in a yard of a Victorian home.

Reply
Katie
8/28/2013 01:25:27 pm

Hi I have two of these which have been fashioned into a pair of ear-rings. I can see the glue which attaches the button/token to ear-ring back. Very interesting reading and yes I can see the similarities to the coat of arms at Versailes. The supporters are angels. Oddly enough my husband is a Scottish Armiger (has a coat of arms granted to him by HM QEII's Chief Herald in Scotland, so I'm pretty well versed in coats of arms. The crest in this case is a crown, which certainly donates that the possessor of that coat of arms is a King. The crest however is what sits atop a helm, the rest of the design is coat armour. This is a common mistake to call coat armour a crest. Regards, Katie.

Reply
Tara Bradford
9/10/2013 10:13:51 am

Please provide photo credit for my copyrighted photo of a section of a ceiling at Versailles, France, which you have used in this post.

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Camille link
9/10/2013 11:52:12 am

Tara Bradford, thanks for your image. You're now credited.

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Camille Breeze
9/11/2013 01:55:20 am

Tara, if you refresh your browser, it is there.

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Emma
9/16/2013 12:54:44 am

Oh, how neat! I've got a button like this too!
I'm going through my button collection to find the perfect button for the crocheted camera case I'm currently working on. I found this button at a second hand store here in Sweden. Most people seem to like to find a whole set of identical buttons, but I prefer the odd ones. It's like they're hiding something, keeping secrets, just pretending to be lost. This precious button made me curious enough to go online and find lots of new resources. Thanks for a great read!

Reply
Meg link
5/19/2014 11:09:22 pm

The unique button: "..like they're hiding something, keeping secrets...." I love that! I TOO have 3 of these specific buttons, and decided to research them. My grandmother's maiden name was Ludovico... and I was inquisitive is there were a connection. But to my let-down, there is not. Smile. This is a fun website.

Reply
Madeleine link
2/9/2017 08:29:57 am

Hi I have the same buttons, 8 big and 6 small. These are from my great grandfather so they're pretty old, however the weight of them are really light, are yours the same way ?

Elizabeth
9/17/2013 01:20:19 am

Found one here in back yard in Tamaulipas Mexico.

Reply
Peter Menich
1/12/2014 06:51:26 am

I found one of these in my Grandfathers stuff after he passed away.

Weird.

Reply
Samuel
2/6/2014 02:31:11 am

I found about 27 of these in a bin full of old buttons, different sizes.
They are different sizes, varying from 1 to 3 centimeter. In the centre are the letters AJK. Thank you for your informative article

Reply
Patt Alexanderson link
2/8/2014 12:48:31 pm

I found this same button in my very old sewing box with absolutely no idea where it came from and was so intrigued that I wanted information about it. Your research and explanation is just what I was hoping to find.

Thank you so much.

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Kara
2/13/2014 03:30:18 am

Ludovicus Rex is King Louis. This must be a popular item to reproduce- I have these buttons on a vintage 1980s womens blazer.

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Hant link
2/13/2014 07:12:22 am

I have this kind of buttons (cheap replicas, though) which I just bought because I liked the idea of having Latin phrase on the buttons of the black hooded poncho / what-ever-wannabe-gothic-cape I'm making. Thank you for the info!

Reply
stuart Field link
3/15/2014 03:27:00 am

Hi , Fantastic read . I thouroghly enjoyed it. I have just finished making a ring out of the very same button i found in a drawer of my industrial sewing machine. I didnt even look up the inscription until i had finished the piece. I like the mystery and statement.

Reply
Sehrena from Texas
5/10/2014 06:46:37 am

My fiancée's brother found one in the yard of one of his customers, he works on telephone lines. Still curious how it got here but thatnk you for the info.

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CAROL ANN
8/4/2014 11:55:09 am

I HAVE ONE OF THESE BUTTONS ! I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE WORDS MEANT , SO I GOOGLED IT AND FOUND THIS PAGE. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GREAT INFO. !

Reply
swede
8/19/2014 12:24:38 am

I just found one, newer, on a flea market in Sweden, among military buttons. Just like others here did. Sold as a souvenir somewhere, maybe ? Popular all over the world it seems. On eBay there are silver ones.

Reply
Fran link
11/16/2014 08:07:26 am

I found 2 of them in a bag of "vintage" metal buttons I bought at a rummage sale in Beaverton, OR.

Reply
Lene
12/2/2014 09:38:42 pm

Hi

I teach latin, and I have to tell you that the "translation" generally found on line is very wrong. Be warned: Nerdyness will follow:

First of all, "Ludovicus rex" is in nominativ and as such it MUST be the subjekt, especially since the verb "capit" is in third person singularis.
This leaves "plures" as the only word in accusativ and as such it has to be the direct object.
"orbis" is genitiv and attaches itself to "plures" as a genitiv of species. The translation of the motto must then be:

"King Ludovicus does not choose the many of this world."

The meaning seem to be that only few men were good enough to be in the service of Ludovicus/Louis/ Ludwig, and that would fit nicely with the theory that the original buttons are from a soldiers uniform =)

Reply
Moira Thurgood link
1/26/2015 07:24:31 am

I have been repairing a very old lavender sachet belonging to my mother edging it in bobbin lace.I thought I'd place a small button in the centre & found this very same button your artical is referring to.It was in a button tin with assorted buttons from my childhood & my adulthood.No idea where it may have come from.

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Paul
3/27/2015 07:25:18 am

I can add a date to this article as I bought a blazer in 1974 when I started work and it had these same silver buttons on. In those days we had to study latin at school so had a fair guess at the meaning. I think the Jacket may have been from C&A although I could not say for certain.

Reply
Leslie Akrigg
5/24/2015 03:58:12 am

Found a silver one with my metal detector this morning at Adlington hall Cheshire England

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SAUBION Anniz
6/11/2015 06:44:38 pm

I have a rain coat bought in Regensburg, with these (modern) buttons. Latin inscription was attractive. Thank you for your explanation. I live in deep South of France

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countdowne link
7/18/2015 03:42:28 pm

Ludovicus Rex is undoubtedly Saint Louis IX (1214–1270), a King of France and Catholic saint
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France

Ludovicus/Ludovico/Ludwig/Louis is a very aristocratic name, used mainly during the High Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe, and nowadays (in the Ludovico form) in aristocratic families in northern Italy.
The quintessential example perhaps being Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan, patron of the arts, had Leonardo da Vinci in his service at his court.

Reply
Joel
11/1/2016 03:24:02 pm

Had a great curiosity about these buttons have like four of these, I have found in a jar of buttons on my family, and I have also found several strange buttons. Thanks for the information, Greetings from Argentina.

Reply
MakiMaki
11/13/2017 03:56:53 pm

Have found a silver one. Feels very cheap... Looks like the "20th-century, cast aluminum button" button from the blog image above (but without damages). On the back imprinted is "G 22" and "S 20".

Reply
Leigh
12/12/2017 07:29:56 pm

I have 6 of these on a bright red plaid wool coat with an old looking Sears Roebuck patch sewn inside, found in Chicago IL

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Merethe (Norway)
3/5/2018 03:15:33 am

Thank you all for all the interesting information about this button 😊
I found 10 of these (I think I have them in the metall kopper) among the buttons in the Buttingsr I just bought in a antiquesstore😍 and I also wanted to find out what the words meant when I saw it was in latin, and then found this page 😍

Reply
Judyta Czerwińska
6/29/2018 03:03:30 am

I've just found a couple of buttons just like this in my grandma's things.

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Martin Bartholomew
11/11/2019 08:04:15 am

Found this silver button over 40 years ago with my home made metal detector in a park in Slough.Been looking through some of my finds today 11/11/2019 and typed in the inscription which linked me to this page,very interesting reading.

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Le gac marquer
10/6/2020 05:24:29 am

J ai trouvé ce même bouton dans une ancienne boite à bijoux de maman et vos explications m ont été très utiles.Je ne suis pas collectionneuse s il peut intéresser qqu!!

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Bas Voorthuis
1/16/2021 07:42:44 pm

Got one with the AJK in the shield.very nice B utt on

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Paul Clark
3/26/2021 02:28:17 am

If you google Rizla Chewing Gum, you'll see that this design was also used to make keyrings for advertising Rizla Chewing Gum.

I have one in my collection and the die used is the same as these buttons.

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Jean Atkins
11/25/2021 04:18:13 pm

I have 2 of these buttons, that I took off my grandmothers' dark blue coat with a cape like collar - it was her nurses coat - that she had for the 50 years she was a nurse. i cut the buttons off before trashing the wool coat. They are in excellent condition..

Reply



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  • About MTS
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    • Client List
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  • Conservation
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    • Ethnographic Textiles
    • Flags & Banners
    • Historic Clothing
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  • Resources
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