Cleveland Museum of Art

Belt Buckle and Tab

Date

600s

Medium

iron with silver overlay

Culture

Frankish, Migration period

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This buckle would have been attached to a strip of leather worn around the waist. It was likely both an ornamental statement indicating social rank and a practical accessory. The decorative inlay was applied by forcing silver wire into a pattern engraved into the iron. The condition of the buckle indicates that it was likely excavated, perhaps from a grave.

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