MEDIEVAL BUCKLE

1066

Copper-alloy buckle plate. The upper plate is trefoil in shape, with a large terminal lobe and two smaller side lobes. The curve of the side lobes continues and is folded over to form a short underplate; there is a pin slot but no real frame recesses. The plate is decorated with engraving. There is a border all the way around, with a straight line across below the pin slot. The hinge loops also have engraved borders. The two side lobes have curved lines springing from the border to define them. Each of the lobes has a separate copper-alloy rivet; two have a deep hole in the centre and may be made from hollow cylinders, but the third (in one of the side lobes) is solid. The rivets in the two side lobes originally passed through the underplate as well, but the perforations in this are now broken. The buckle plate has corroded to an unusual pale green, almost turquoise. There are traces of gilding in the engraved lines.