1969.0167 Knee Buckle

Buckle (Belt buckle)

  • Category:

    Jewelry

  • Place of Origin:

    France, Europe

  • Date:

    1820-1850

  • Materials:

    Ormolu; Gold; Brass

  • Techniques:

    Cast

  • Museum Object Number:

    1969.0167


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1969.0167

Object Name

Buckle (Belt buckle)

Category

Jewelry

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Miss Ann Lee Cole

Place of Origin

France, Europe

Origin Notes

The creation place was identified as probably France by a previous cataloguer [Lorena Baines 2008].

Date

1820-1850

Materials

Ormolu; Gold; Brass

Techniques

Cast

Dimensions (inches)

3 (L) , 1.374 (W) , 0.354 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

7.62 (L) , 3.49 (W) , 0.9 (D)

Object Description

Web - 12/05/2023

Fashionable American women's dresses and clothing of the 1830s often emphasized the waist with a wide fabric belt fastened with buckle like this one. The scrolling floral border would frame a rounded rectangular section of cloth while the pointed teeth secured the belt from the underside. Such large buckles are visible in painted portraits and printed fashion plates. The gilded surface of this brass buckle gave it a luxurious, light-reflective note of functional ornament on the body.