Buckle Plate
Unknown Artist
4th–7th century
Medium
Iron, gold, brass or latten inlay, silver overlay,
Dimensions
Overall: 2 7/8 x 1 7/16 x 3/8 in. (7.3 x 3.7 x 1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Iron
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.191.337a
Art Historical Context
This exquisite **Buckle Plate**, crafted by an unknown Frankish artisan between the 4th 7th centuries, a glimpse into the sophisticated metalworking of early medieval Europe. Hailing from the Meroving period—when the Franks rose to dominate Gaul (modern France)—such buckles adorned belts or harnesses, serving both practical and status-driven purposes. Measuring a modest 2 7/8 x 1 7/16 x 3/8 inches, its small scale belies its cultural weight as a symbol of elite craftsmanship amid the turbulent transition from late antiquity to the Middle Ages. The plate's iron core is masterfully enhanced wit...