Belt buckle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The snake-shaped hook at the left of this buckle would have engaged with a nearly identical one at the other end of the belt, possibly with the aid of a short chain-linked element. The intricate pierced openwork on this belt buckle demonstrates how a discerning patron would ensure his rank was reflected in each and every detail of his stylish costume. The number inscribed in ink on the back is evidence that this buckle was once in the Andrássy Treasury. Literature European Silver. Sale cat., Sotheby’s, Geneva, May 13, 1986, p. 35, no. 94. Judit H. Kolba. Hungarian Silver: The Nicolas M. Salgo Collection. London, 1996, p. 25, no. 3. [Wolfram Koeppe 2015]

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art