buckle/clasp

C/1989/175   Silver buckle/clasp of two wide almond-shaped pieces, joined with a cast hook and a corresponding loop. A vase with flowers decorates the metal surface at the inner side of each fastening element, and a foliate scroll motif in relief extends along the rest of the periphery, following the curved contour of each clasp piece. The rich floral decoration borders the central motif, which is a magnificently complex structure with columns and arches, rendered in high relief with engraved and chased details. On the reverse side, there are pairs of vertical bars, one narrow and one much wider with a wavy outline, for securing the clasp to a belt. The theme of buildings, churches, mosques and palaces is encountered in other examples of clasps that are likely Cypriot (for similar examples see: Papageorgiou 1995, 100, Collection of the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus, and Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou 1996, 225, fig. 234, Collection of Pavlos Neophytou, Nicosia).   Total length: 30 cm. Height: 10.5 cm. Donation from the A.G. Leventis Foundation.