buckle/clasp

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.