Belt thumbnail 1
Belt thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Belt

1800-1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This elaborate buckle was acquired in Cairo in 1884. It was originally probably part of the traditional costume of a woman from northern Europe. All the individual elements - the raised domes made from leaves, the extension chain, the pendant acorn, the decorative buckle - are characteristic of the kind of belt which was worn in Germany or the Nordic region in the 18th and 19th centuries.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Belt
  • Belts
Materials and techniques
Gilded metal set with coloured pastes
Brief description
Two parts of a gilded metal belt set with coloured pastes, northern Europe, 1800-1850.
Physical description
Two belt fittings made of gilded metal. Each consists of a hollow slide, open at one end, which would have slid over the end of a leather belt, with a hole on the back, near the opening, by which the belt would have been held securely in place. On the front of each is a row of rings, each supporting a dome of four leaves with a red, green or blue paste set in the top. There are four raised domes on one slide, and five on the other. The slide with four domes has a buckle at the end, made of pierced gilt metal set with a blue paste. The slide with five domes has a small ring at its end, through which hangs a short length of chain with a gilt metal acorn hanging from the end.
Dimensions
  • Chain length: 104mm
  • Width: 19mm
Subject depicted
Summary
This elaborate buckle was acquired in Cairo in 1884. It was originally probably part of the traditional costume of a woman from northern Europe. All the individual elements - the raised domes made from leaves, the extension chain, the pendant acorn, the decorative buckle - are characteristic of the kind of belt which was worn in Germany or the Nordic region in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Collection
Accession number
953&:1-1887

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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