Share

Plate from a belt buckle

Archaeology

Anonymous

560 - 580, lasting until the early 7th century

Location icon

Rigid plate from a belt buckle with openwork ornamentation retouched with the burin on the front. The part has been lost that was fixed to the plate by a pin introduced through the four hinges on the end nearest to the base. On the front, four of the nine buttons have survived that fixed the openworked plate to the back plate and to the leather of the belt. The decoration is arranged in two registers, one on top of the other, separated by a strip decorated with a doubleended plait, which is repeated in the border that runs around the edge of the piece. In the top register there is the highly schematic depiction of three figures facing right, where there is another, perhaps seated, and between them there is a cockerel. Despite the problems with identification historians have interpreted this scene as the Epiphany and the Nativity of Christ. The presence of the cockerel signifies the image of the redemption of Christ. In the bottom register, also in highly schematic form, there are two four-legged animals facing a central motif or receptacle from where a stream of water flows. This image has been interpreted as two horses or gryphons drinking from the fountain of life, a biblical theme very common in pieces of Gallic origin from the land of the Burgundians.

Llegir més

Location

Room2 ,Floor-1

1 History of the Museum

2 Archaelogy

3 Lapidary

Detalls de l’obra

PLACE OF EXECUTION

Burgundian production (France)

PERIOD

560 - 580, lasting until the early 7th century

Material

Cast bronze with openwork and engraved decoration

Dimensions

7.2 x 11.3 x 0.3 cm

Origin

From the vicinity of the church in Olius (Solsonès)

WORK NUMBER

MEV 3488