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Lyre-Shaped Belt Buckle

600–700
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 301
Composed of three separately cast elements—tongue, loop, and plaque—this buckle's configuration evokes the designation "lyre shaped." Aside from the tongue, the borders of the lyre design are in the highest relief, and portions of them are chased with diagonal striations. The smooth inner edges of the borders slope down to the depressed areas, which are filled with deeply engraved lines and punched circles that represent highly abstracted foliate designs. The loop is chased with hatching and the end of the tongue with cross-hatching. The recessed reverse of the plate is fitted with five cast lugs for attachment to a now-lost belt.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lyre-Shaped Belt Buckle
  • Date: 600–700
  • Culture: Hispano–Visigothic
  • Medium: Copper alloy, quarternary
  • Dimensions: Overall: 1/16 x 5 13/16 x 1 7/8 x 7/16 in. (0.2 x 14.8 x 4.8 x 1.1 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Copper
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald S. Lauder Gift, 1990
  • Object Number: 1990.193.3a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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