Antique Islamic Mughal Buckles

Three Koftgari-Style Silver & Gold Inlaid Belt Buckles

Each of these steel buckles (known locally as faulad baklas), is in two parts, and decorated with gold, or gold and silver damascene inlay. Each is finely cut with bevelled edging.

The shapes of the two halves are based on the shape of a plane or

chinar leaf, a large tree commonly found in the area and in Kashmir.

The shapes and the inlay work are obviously Islamic in inspiration, with stars, crescent moons and Ottoman-inspired stylised carnation and tulip bloom heads.

a related buckle in terms of shape and decoration is illustrated in Utracht, O., Traditional Jewelry of India, Thames & Hudson, 1997, p. 240.