Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Belt Buckle
(Medieval Europe )
This buckle is of a type manufactured in workshops near Paris during the last third of the 6th century. It is incised with bands of concentric geometric ornament centering on a human face, interpreted variously as Medusa or, when surmounted by a cross, as Christ. In either case, the face is an apotropaic device, intended to protect the wearer from evil.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Joseph Brummer, New York; Joseph Brummer Sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, May 12, 1949, no. 278; Walters Art Museum, 1949, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
France, Ile-de-France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
2 5/16 x 2 1/4 x 5/8 in. (5.9 x 5.7 x 1.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1949
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: Migration and Early Medieval Art
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.2344