Cleveland Museum of Art

Belt Buckle

Date

1100s-1200s

Medium

Gilt bronze

Culture

Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Metallurgy advanced remarkably in the Goryeo period (918–1392), explaining why a large quantity of sophisticated metal artifacts with delicate designs were used not only as daily accessories but also as burial goods. Once coated in brilliant gold, belt buckles like this one were fixed to leather belts. The Japanese antique dealer Yamanaka & Company, which opened its branches in New York (1895) and Boston (1899), sold small Korean archaeological materials such as this belt buckle to American collectors in the early 20th century.

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