Belt fitting with figure of St. George

Among the ornaments from the treasure found in 1999 in Szczecin, the most impressive elements are buckles and belt end fittings, especially one of them representing a young man slaying a dragon, St. George or Archangel Michael. These items, made in the 15th century, appear to be unused. In Christianity, Archangels Michael and George are symbols of spiritual warfare, fighting for justice and patience. Both figures were often present in culture and art and were willingly chosen as patrons of cities and countries. In terms of design, several variants of belt end fittings used in the Middle Ages can be distinguished. The simplest one was a bent piece of sheet metal riveted to the end of a thong. Also popular were fittings made of several layers of sheet metal joined by soldering or fittings of the so-called box construction, where the end of the thong was inserted into a metal box. Openwork fittings were the most spectacular of all the variants. An object of this type is fitting with a representation of a young man slaying a dragon. The richly decorated element of the Gothic belt was made by engraving, soldering and riveting. Its complicated form testifies to the high craftsmanship of the maker and the refined taste of the orderer. A gilded belt with such a finely decorated fitting emphasised the social and material status of the person who owned it. Decorated belts, treated as precious jewels, were often inherited.

Małgorzata Peszko