Fragment of a Gold Attachment Plate for a Buckle
Unknown Artist
700s
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
1 3/16 × 13/16 × 5/16 in., 0.675 Troy Ounces (3 × 2 × 0.8 cm, 21g)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold
Culture
Avar
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.1691
Art Historical Context
This exquisite fragment of a gold attachment plate for a buckle hails from the 700s, crafted by an unknown Avar artisan. Measuring just 1 3/16 × 13/16 × 5/16 inches and weighing a mere 0.675 Troy ounces, it exemplifies the delicate precision of Avar metalwork. The Avars, a nomadication that dominated the Carpathian Basin in early medieval Europe, were renowned for their lavish personal ornaments, often adorning belts and horse harnesses to signify status and wealth. Gold, a prized medium in Avar culture, was hammered, chased, and possibly inlaid to create intricate designs—though this survivi...