silver

C/1989/174

Tripartite silver filigree buckle/clasp, of a similar type as that of nos C/2003/0160, C/2000/2182 and C/1994/1153, with the difference that the centre of the large rosettes features applied elements of solid silver. This is an exceptional example of Cypriot silversmithing. The different hues of silver are accentuated by the combination of applied and wirework decoration and the interplay between solid and openwork surfaces, without additional coloured adornments. The outer pieces are connected by means of three graduated chains hanging from rings. As in all examples of this type, one ring is joined to the fastening pin, while the other ring is affixed to the frame. As in the previous examples, one outer piece is soldered to the central piece, while the other is attached with a pin that slots into a tubular hinge. Here the tube made of the same piece of metal as the central part is missing.

Total width: 17 cm. Height: 9 cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/1994/1153

Tripartite silver filigree clasp, similar to nos. C/2003/0160 and C/2000/2182. The openwork filigree surface of spiralling scrolls is decorated with applied faceted squares and wirework rosettes. Three larger rosettes, one in the centre of each outer piece and a third on the upper part of the central piece, are adorned with green pastes (glass stones). Three graduated chains hang across the front of the clasp from two large rings at the outer pieces. One of the rings is joined to the fastening pin that slots into a tubular hinge on the reverse side, to close the clasp. On the other side, the large ring passes through a smaller one, made of the same piece of metal as one of the six vertical bars that are soldered to the reverse side of the clasp’s frame.

Total width: 18 cm. Height: 9 cm.

Former Collection of Pavlos Neophytou.

Donation from the Association of Friends of the Leventis Museum.

C/2000/2182

Tripartite silver filigree buckle/clasp, similar to clasp no. C/2003/0160. Here also, the surface of all three parts consists of filigree spiralling scrolls, encrusted with applied rosettes of different sizes, and small faceted squares. The centre of the larger rosettes is set with a stone, one red on each of the outer pieces, and two – one green and one light blue – on the central piece. The smaller rosettes are adorned with applied granules. There are five vertical bars on the reverse side, two on each outer piece and one on the central piece, all soldered to the frame. On one outer piece, a small ring crafted from the same piece of metal as the bar, holds a larger ring with segments of three hanging chains. The fastening pin, with a flattened pinhead, has been independently preserved on the other outer piece. The clasp fastens in the same manner as clasp no. C/2003/0160.

Total width: 17 cm. Height: 9 cm.

Donation from the Association of Friends of the Leventis Museum.

C/2003/0160

Silver filigree buckle/clasp. Its three pieces have the same crown-like shape, with curved protrusions on either side. The curvilinear frame, made of beaded wire, encloses spiralling scrolls of openwork lace-like filigree. Applied decorative elements, namely filigree rosettes in two different sizes and faceted squares, are scattered across the filigree surface. It appears that the centre of the largest rosettes was set with stones that have been lost. The central piece of the clasp is larger and vertical, while the outer pieces are horizontally positioned on either side of the central piece’s lower part. One of the outer pieces is affixed to the central one, while the other is separate, with two vertical tubes on the reverse side, between which fits another tube affixed to the central piece. A pin passes through all three tubes, fastening the clasp. The two outer pieces are connected by three chains, hanging from two rings. The fastening pin is joined to one of the rings. On the reverse side, there are five vertical bars fixed to the frame, for securing the clasp to a belt.

Clasps of this type are frequently encountered in Cyprus and could be considered products of local jewellers, since the island has a long tradition of filigree jewellery and tableware. For similar and comparable clasps, see for example: Pierides 1980, LVI. b, from the Collection of the Cyprus Museum; Papadimitriou 1996, 56, fig. 71, from the Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus; Cypriot Costumes 1999, Cypriot clasp from the National Historical Museum in Athens; Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 229; Papadimitriou 2000, 98, cat. 34, and 103, cat. 45; clasps in the Victoria and Albert Museum, purchased in Cyprus in 1888 and 1903, respectively.

Total length: 20 cm. Height: 10 cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/2000/2293

Silver alloy buckle/clasp, combining wirework and enamel on a sheet silver background. The clasp consists of two almond-shaped elements that terminate in anthemia, and a central plaquette over the fastening. Stylised floral motifs made of wire and filled with yellow, green, blue, and light-blue enamel, cover the surfaces of all three clasp parts. At the upper side of the almond-shaped pieces, the enamelled designs extend beyond the frame of beaded wire. The central part of the clasp features a rosette surrounded by floral motifs. On the reverse side, there are two long and narrow bars, for attaching the clasp to a belt. The clasp closes with a loop and a wire hook, onto which the central plaquette is affixed.

Enamelled clasps of the Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus, dating to the 19th century, are similar in their technique and design but differ in their shape (see clasp in Papadimitriou 1996, 41, fig. 49, the central element of which is identical to clasp 2293, and 58, fig. 74). All are of Cypriot craftsmanship. 

Total length: 10 cm. Height: cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/1997/1681

Silver filigree buckle/clasp consisting of two almond-shaped pieces. It is similar to clasp C/2003/0162, combining wirework and applied decoration of floral patterns with blue and green enamel. The small, circular plaque covering the fastening loop is set with a turquoise stone, encircled by a ring of granules.  

Total length: 21 cm. Height: 7.5 cm.

Donation from the Association of Friends of the Leventis Museum.

C/2003/0162

Silver filigree buckle/clasp of two almond-shaped pieces and a small, disc-shaped element that covers the cast hook-and-loop fastening in the centre. The almond-shaped pieces consist of dense filigree scrollwork, surrounding a smaller, almond-shaped plaque of sheet silver, soldered to the reverse side. Another plaque of the same shape is secured onto the first one with two delicate pins. It is decorated with wire floral designs, filled with enamel in blue, light blue and green. Domed, wire rosettes with blue and green enamel petals are affixed to the openwork filigree surface, covering the centre of spiralling scrolls. A short strip of open filigree scrolls, decorated with domed, enamel rosettes, applied granules and lozenges, extends along the top edge of the almond-shaped elements, ending in an anthemion at their tip. The anthemia are rendered in filigree applied on a separate, sheet silver background that is soldered to the reverse side. The central, disc-shaped element of the clasp consists of sheet silver with applied filigree enamel, and is set with a ruby at the centre. The combination of techniques including repoussé, wirework, appliqué and granulation, the colourful enrichment with enamel and stones, and the alternation of solid and openwork, lace-like surfaces, all contribute to the high aesthetic value of a clasp distinguished for its fine craftsmanship. It is most likely the work of a Cypriot silversmithing workshop, a hypothesis attested to by its direct correspondence to descriptions of clasps in accounts of the 18th and early 19th centuries (“pair of filigree clasps adorned with enamel and stones”), as well as by the several, similar examples of confirmed Cypriot origin found in museums and private collections on the island and abroad (for similar clasps see Papageorgiou 1995, 97-99, three samples from the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus; Papadimitriou 2000, 74, 102, cat. 41-42, clasp in the Victoria and Albert Museum, purchased in Cyprus in 1888, and the same one in Magda Ohnefalsch-Richter 1913, pl. 67; Michalopoulou-Charalambous 1993, 242, 243, two clasps from Peristeronopigi, dated 1880-1890 and 1850-1860; Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 228, fig. 243 and 244, clasps from the Collection of the Cyprus Museum and the Collection of Loukia Pieridi; Papadimitriou 1996, 61, fig. 78, 63, 83, clasps from the Collection of the Ethnographic Museum of Cyprus).

Total length: 26.7 cm. Height: 9 cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/2000/2292

Silver buckle/clasp of two round discs joined with a hook and a corresponding loop. Both fastening elements are cast and extend into anthemia affixed to the inner extreme of the discs. The outer extremes come to a slight point, a feature encountered in many clasps, possibly as a remnant of additional decorative elements. A narrow, unadorned band of folded sheet silver is formed at the edge of each disc, while the rest of the surface is decorated in a lattice design of consecutive lozenges with rosettes in the centre and at the corners. Fine, incised lines extend across the decorated surface. Five pairs of small holes along the edge of each disc were purposed for securing the clasp to a belt. The decoration is engraved. The lattice pattern is comparable to that of clasp no. C/2003/149, which is similar but more complex. Clasp no. C/2000/2292 is defined by its simplicity and symmetry. It was likely crafted in a Cypriot workshop.

Total length: 15 cm. Diameter: 6.5 cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/2003/0149

Gilded buckle/clasp of low-quality silver. It consists of two triangular pieces with a wavy outline. The outer point of both pieces is decorated with an additional cast element of an anthemion flanked by scrollwork. Rococo style floral designs extend along the outer periphery, while the rest of the surface is covered by a lattice pattern of consecutive lozenges. The centre of the lozenges features fleur-de-lis motifs in alternation with small, six-petaled rosettes. The clasp closes with a hook and a corresponding loop that is decorated with fine linear patterns. Repoussé is applied in combination with chasing, while certain elements are made with casting. The motifs are rendered in high relief, while the fine chasing and the mat, dotted background create a play of light and shade. The lozenge lattice, enriched with floral decoration, alludes to the carved and painted ceilings in 18th-19th century mansions. The floral motifs create the impression of movement and are reminiscent of clasps from Greece and Asia Minor. The fleur-de-lis, however, is a favoured motif in Cyprus, a remnant of the Lusignan period.

On the reverse side, there are bars with a wavy outline, one on the base of the fastening elements, and two more of different widths affixed vertically to the frame. Two dates, 1821 and 1848, are lightly incised on the widest bar of one clasp piece. This clasp must have been in long-term use, judging by the attempt to repair it by soldering pieces of sheet silver to the back of the decorated surface.

Total length: 28 cm. Height: 10cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

C/2003/0154

Low-quality silver buckle/clasp of two convex discs decorated with a large rosette. A small, circular element covers the fastening. The clasp is distinguished by the masterful combination of different silversmithing techniques: repoussé, engraving, casting, wirework, appliqué, and granulation. Each of the three clasp elements is set with a central paste (glass stone), red on the discs and green on the central element. Around each stone are filigree designs, enriched with applied granules and small lozenges. On the discs, the central boss is surrounded by nine repoussé petals in a circular arrangement. The rest of the surface is covered with foliate in repoussé. An additional, cast and pierced element of an anthemion flanked by symmetrical acanthus leaves, is attached to the outer extreme of both discs. On the reverse side of each disc, there are two bars of a different width, with a wavy outline on one side, for securing the clasp to a belt. The clasp comprised part of a priest's vestments.  

This clasp is similar to a fire-gilded silver bridal belt clasp from Sille of Konya, now at the National Historical Museum in Athens (ind. No. 10196), which features the same elements in a simpler form (Mazarakis-Ainian and Iakobou (eds.) 1995, 98-100). It can also be compared to the clasp of the Didymoteicho bridal costume (Papantonio 1991, 120-121). Clasps no. C/2002/2624, C/2002/2623, and C/2000/2183 of the Leventis Municipal Museum Collection are variations of the same basic type.

Total length: 26 cm. Diameter: 10.5 cm.

Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.