Frankish iron belt buckle set with Style II silver Animal interlace

A large iron belt-mount suite with silver animal interlace ornament (in the so-called Style II defined by Edward Salin) comprising: a buckle with domed loop, tongue with pelta-shaped rear, triangular plaque and counterplate from the same mould as the buckle-plaque with three missing bosses.

A splendid buckle like this would have been a costly item that not everyone could have afforded. The buckle is decorated with fabulous animal interlace pattern, a popular motif on jewellery of the late sixth and early seventh centuries. It has been suggested that the interlace represents an attempt to counter negative forces by literally tying them up. Although we don’t know where this buckle came from, it may well have been found in a grave, buried with its owner.

Belts were important features of early medieval dress. Not only did they serve the practical function of holding weapons and tools, but their fittings, which could vary in terms of material, decoration, and size, were also highly visible indicators of rank and status. Iron buckles, many imposing in size, were worn by both men and women. Their intricate decoration was achieved by squeezing narrow twisted strips of silver into patterns engraved on the surface of the prefabricated iron pieces. A complete belt would have consisted of a buckle, a counter plate that was placed opposite the buckle, and sometimes a rectangular plate placed in the middle of the belt at the back for decoration.

Sources : Ricci, Seymour de. Catalogue of a Collection of Gallo-Roman Antiquities Belonging to J. Pierpont Morgan. Paris: C. Berger, 1911. no. 326, p. 47 & Brown, Katharine R. Migration Art, A.D. 300-800. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995.

Material: Iron with silver interlace
Date: Migration period, Merovingian – Frankish, 7th century AD
Measurement: buckle with plate (133 x 65 mm) and counterplate (83 x 55 mm)
Condition: Good, Traces of age
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