Gold Strap End (Unfinished)
Unknown Artist
700s
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
1 9/16 × 3/8 × 3 7/16 in., 0.997 Troy Ounces (4 × 1 × 8.8 cm, 31g)
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
17.190.1677
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of's Medieval Art collection! This delicate *Gold Strap End (Unfinished)*, crafted by an unknown Avar artist in the 700s, offers a rare glimpse into the world of nomadic steppe cultures in early medieval Europe. Measuring just 1 9/16 × 3/8 × 3 7/16 inches and weighing nearly one troy ounce, this small gold artifact was likely designed as a functional fastener for belts, straps, or horse harnesses—essential items for the horse-riding Avars, who dominated the Carpathian Basin from the late 6th to 9th centuries. What makes this piece particularly intriguing is ...