Enquiry about object: 10425
Large Ottoman Greek Silver Buckle
Ottoman Greece circa 1800
height: 14.6cm, width: 27.7cm, weight: 478g; height with stand: 18.5cm
Provenance
UK art market
This extravagant silver belt buckle would have been used for the most important ceremonial occasions. It comprises two rectangular, convex ‘wing’ elements, joined by means of two small hooks on the reverse, to a central, round, raised element.
Each part is chased with traditional, vegetal motifs.
It is shaped such that it follows the natural curve of the waist.
The reverse has several copper struts or keepers through which the fabric of the belt would have been threaded.
See Zora (1977, p. 26) for a related example.
Large waist buckles such as these became popular in Greece during the Ottoman Turkish occupation of the country during the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were incorporated into the national costume and so, as mentioned, were worn on important ceremonial and ritual occasions.
The buckle is accompanied by a custom-made black metal display stand. Together with the stand, it is an excellent, decorative item.
References
Kaplani, Y., Modern Greek Silverware: From the Collections of the Museum of Greek Folk Art, Archaeological Greek Fund, 1997.
Zora, P., Exhibition of Greek Folk Art Catalogue, Museum of Greek Folk Art, Athens, 1977.
