Buttons embroidered with floss silk, glass paste and silver spangles (or sequins) form an integral part of the fine needlework on this 1790s man’s court coat. They act as ‘punctuation marks’ echoing the elements of the overall embroidered decoration. The striped brown silk of the coat has been appliquéd with undulating bands of pink silk, overlaid with an early machine net (made on a warp frame). Over this ground springs a pattern of leafy sprays worked in coloured silks, glass paste and spangles. Embroidery samples at the Musée Historique des Tissus, in Lyon, France show several similar patterns using a net overlay on dark striped silks.