Hat badges like these appear on portraits of men in the late 15th century and into the 16th century; this list provides links to pictures of these badges as they are displayed in museums, as well as demonstrations of this fashion in portraits of men.

This list does not include pilgrim badges, though you can see examples of these in various places (my favorite is Kunera); the pilgrims linkspage provides illustrations of where and how the pilgrims wore their badges.

See also Les enseignes de chapeau au XVIe siècle and Un bijou à fonction particulière: Enseigne de chapeau.

• Hat ornament in gold with enamel and jewels, Italy, 15th century
• Hat or dress ornament, gold with a garnet, inscribed autre ne veut, England, c. 1475
• The Chiddingly Boar, late 15th century
• Late medieval hat badge with the Madonna and Child
• Plaque with St. John the Baptist and St. Mary Magdalene, and the Angel and Virgin and a vernicle, made in Milan c. 1480; it is referenced in Goldsmiths’ Work from Milan as a hat jewel
• Portrait of Louis XII, King of France, c. 1490
• Portrait of Philip the Handsome, c. 1500
• Portrait of a courtier by Jan Mostaert, c. 1500
• Hat badge with a lady, made in Spain c. 1500
• Cap-hook/hat-ornament with the Crucifixion, silver, made in 16th century England
• Cap-hook/hat-ornament in the form of a six-spoked Catherine wheel in silver-gilt, found in England, dating to the 16th century
• Plaquette/hat-ornament with Pyramus and Thisbe in bronze with traces of gilding and enamel
• Hat badge with the Crucifixion worked in relief in gold, made in 16th century Spain
• Hat-ornament/badge with St. Matthew writing, gilt bronze, made in northern Italy in the early 16th century
• Hat-ornament/badge with Apollo watching Daphne changing into a laurel, gilt bronze, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-ornament/badge with Marcus Curtius leaping into the gulf, gilt bronze, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-ornament/badge with Laocoon and his sons and the serpents, gilt bronze, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-ornament/badge with a female bust (possibly Diana), gilt bronze, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-ornament/badge with the Fall of Phaethon, gilt bronze, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-badge with a bust of a helmeted man in profile, bronze and lead, made in 16th century Italy
• Hat-badge with a bust of a bearded man, bronze, made in Germany or Italy in the 16th century
• Hat-ornament/badge with the Judgement of Paris, gilt bronze, made in 16th century Germany
• Hat badge with the Visitation, silver with niello, made in Flanders c. 1500-1525
• Hat badge with the head of St. John the Baptist, enamelled gold, made in France c. 1500-1525
• Hat badge with St. Martin and the beggar, enamel on copper, workshop of Nardon Penicaud, first half of the 16th century
• Detail from an altarpiece with scenes from the stories of St. George and St. Florian by Marx Reichlich, c. 1501-1505
• Portrait of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and Mary Tudor, c. 1516
• Portrait of Count Sciarra Martinengo Cesaresco by Moretto da Brescia, 1516-1518
• Portrait of Pietro Aretino (probably after a design by Sebastiano del Piombo) by Marcantonio Raimondi, c. 1517-1520 or 1524-1525
• Hat badge with St. George and the dragon, Flemish (?), c. 1520
• Hat ornament: Woman choosing between youth and old age, gold with enamel, made in France c. 1520
• Portrait of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, 1520
• Portrait of Arthur, Prince of Wales, c. 1520
• Portrait of an elderly couple by Jan Gossaert, c. 1520
• Portrait of Joost van Bronckhorst by Jan Mostaert, c. 1520
• Portrait of an unknown man by Jan Mostaert, c. 1520
• Portrait of Jan van Wassenaer by Jan Mostaert, c. 1520-1522
• Hat-medallion with a young woman between an old man and a young man, c. 1520-1530
• Portrait of an African man by Jan Mostaert, c. 1525-1530
• Portrait of François I, King of France by Jean Clouet, c. 1525-1530
• Portrait of François I, King of France by Jean Clouet, c. 1525-1530
• Portrait of an unknown man by Jan Gossaert, c. 1525-1528
• Hat badge with the Fall of Man, made in England (?) c. 1525-1550
• Self-portrait with a skull by Jacob Binck, c. 1525-1550; a hat-badge appears on the underside of the brim of his hat
• Portrait of a gentleman by Moretto da Brescia, 1526
• Hat-ornament with the Judgement of Paris in gold and enamel with gemstones, made in France or Italy, c. 1526-1575
• Portrait of Sir Henry Guildford by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1527
• Gold hat badge with an ancient Roman warrior or emperor, made in England or Italy c. 1530-1540
• Hat-ornament Christand the Woman of Samaria at the well, gold with applied enamel, England, c. 1530-1540 (compare to this slightly later hat-ornament with the same scene)
• Portrait of Sir Nicholas Poyntz by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1535
• Portrait of Sir Richard Southwell by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1536
• Portrait of Simon George by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1536-1537
• Hat jewel with the Adoration of the Magi made in France c. 1540
• Hat-ornament with Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the well, gold with applied enamel, England, c. 1540
Considère un peu les boutons desmail ou ornement, se vendant trois francs la douzaine … Ils sont venus à tel méris, qu’aujourd’hui les hommes ont honte d’en porter, et disent que ce n’est que pour les bélistres, parce qu’ils sont à trop bon marché … As-tu vu les esmailleurs de Limoges? … Leur art est devenu si vil, qu’il leur est difficile de gagner leur vie au pix qu’ils donnetn leurs œuvres. Je m’assure avoir vu donner la douzaine de figures d’enseignes que l’on portait aux bonnets, lesquelles enseignes estaint si bien labourées et leurs esmaux si bien parfondus sur le cuivre, qu’il avait nulle peinture si plaisante.

Bernard Palissy, 1563

• Hat-ornament with a man riding on a horse, made in Germany (?) c. 1545-1555
• Hat jewel made in France in the mid-16th century
• Cap-hook/hat-ornament with an oval glass cameo of Jupiter Ammon, mid-16th century; this item has a good description of hat-ornaments in the notes section
• Hat badge with the Conversion of St. Paul made in Italy or Spain in the mid-16th century (also here); includes an engraved inscription on the reverse: “Giojello che teneva al Cappello il Generalisso / D. Giovanni d'Austria, e che / pose di propria mano al / Capello di Camillo Capizucchi / come al Libro di memorie / della Casa Capizucchi / Tom. I. a C. ('Jewel that belonged in the cap of the Generalissimo, don John of Austria, and that had been set with his own hand on the cap of Camillo Capizucchi as recorded in the Book of the history of the House of Capizucchi Tome I. A C.').”
• Hat-ornament/badge with Minos selecting the greatest hero of Antiquity, gilt bronze, made in Germany c. 1550
• Hat badge representing Prudence, made in the comesso technique, using gold, enamel, chalcedony, and glass in the form of a table-cut diamond, made in France c. 1550-1560; compare to pendant jewel Met 17.190.907
• Gold oval hat-jewel with St. George and the Dragon in enamel with gemstones, France, c. 1551-1575
Limoges enamel roundels/hat-ornaments:
• Roundel/hat-ornament with a naked male standing, probably Tarquin, c. 1560
• Hat-ornament/badge with Jacob and a kneeling man, c. 1560
• Roundel/hat-ornament with a cavalry skirmish, c. 1580
• Hat-ornament made in Germany, with a northern Italian onyx cameo, second half of the 16th century
• Portrait of Henry IV, King of France by Antonius Wierix, 1593