Belt Plate
Unknown Artist
7th century
Medium
Iron, silver inlay, brass inlay
Dimensions
Overall: 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 x 5/16 in. (8.8 x 5 x 0.8 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Iron
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.193.228
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 7th-century Frank belt plate, crafted from iron with intricate silver and brass inlays offers a glimpse into the material culture of early medieval Europe. Measuring just 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 x 5/16 inches, its compact size suggests it adorned the belt of a warrior or elite individual, where such accessories served as symbols of status and identity amid the Frankish kingdoms' turbulent expansion across Gaul and beyond. The piece exemplifies Merovingian-era metalwork, a hallmark of Frankish artistry during the 7th century. Artisans employed skilled inlay techniques—embedding silver ...