Belt Buckle
Medium
Gold and champlevé enamel
Dimensions
1 1/2 x 2 1/4 in. (3.8 x 5.7 cm)
Classification
Buckle
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Susan and Jon Rotenstreich Gift, 2000
Accession Number
2000.571
Art Historical Context
This exquisite belt buckle, crafted around 1868 by the California Jewelry. in collaboration with William Cummings, exemplifies the opulent jewelry of post-Gold Rush America. Measuring just 1 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches, its petite scale belies its grandeur, fashioned from gleaming gold adorned with champlevé enamel—a technique where intricate cells are carved into the metal, filled with colored enamels, and fired to create vibrant, durable patterns. This revival of a medieval enameling method highlights the era's blend of technical virtuosity and Victorian extravagance. Produced in San Francisco amid ...
About the Artist
California Jewelry Co.|William Cummings ( | ) · | –9999 |9999
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