Early Medieval Bronze Cross Buckle - 32 mm (No reserve price)

Early Medieval Bronze Buckle with Cross-Shaped Plate

Culture / Period: Early Medieval
Date / Period: 6th–9th century
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 32 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 975

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the cross buckle from B.N. in Schiedam, The Netherlands.

The previous owner, B.N. from Schiedam, did not provide information concerning when the object entered his collection.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in The Netherlands. The date on which it entered that collection is unknown.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This small bronze buckle consists of an oval frame with a surviving movable tongue and an integral plate terminating in a prominent cross-shaped element. It was intended as a functional fastening for a belt, strap or comparable item of dress or equipment. Buckles were important components of Early Medieval clothing and personal equipment and could combine an everyday practical purpose with carefully chosen decorative forms.

The cross-shaped terminal places the object within the visual language of the increasingly Christianised Early Medieval world. Cross motifs became widespread on personal ornaments and dress accessories, where they could express Christian identity while simultaneously serving as decorative elements. Without a documented archaeological context, however, the precise religious significance of the cross on this individual buckle cannot be established.

Copper-alloy buckles were produced by specialised craftsmen, generally through casting followed by finishing and fitting of the movable tongue. Their forms varied considerably between regions and periods, reflecting local traditions as well as the movement of people, objects and artistic influences across post-Roman Europe.

Dating broadly to the 6th–9th century, this buckle belongs to a period of major political, cultural and religious transformation following the end of Roman rule in Western Europe. Christianity became increasingly embedded in society, while personal dress accessories remained important expressions of function, identity and status. This buckle forms a tangible connection to that Early Medieval world, combining an everyday fastening device with one of the period's most recognisable symbolic forms.