Openwork Belt Fitting
Unknown Artist
6th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
Overall: 2 1/4 x 1/4 in. (5.7 x 0.6 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Copper alloy
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.192.157
Art Historical Context
This delicate **Openwork Belt Fitting**, by an unknown Frankish artisan in the 6th, exemplifies the exquisite metalwork of early medieval Europe. Measuring just 2 1/4 x 1/4 inches (5.7 x 06 cm), this copper alloy piece was likely part of a belt—a key accessory in Frankish dress that signified status and identity during the Merovingian era The Franks, a Germanic who dominated much of what is now France and Germany produced such fittings amid their of power following the fall of Rome, blending utilitarian function with emerging artistic sophistication. The standout feature is its **openwork tec...