Belt buckle

In the late Middle Ages, a waist or hip belt was a prestigious piece of clothing. Wealthy townspeople could afford belts richly decorated with applications from precious metals. The buckle, whose task was to fix both ends of the leather or textile belt, was the most ornate. In terms of construction, the buckle consisted of 2 elements: a spike and a frame, which took different shapes and had different types of decoration. The late gothic silver belt buckle, consisting of a spike and a frame engraved with a vine motif, was part of a treasure of coins and ornaments discovered in 1999 during archaeological excavations in the Szczecin's Podzamcze area. The valuables, placed in a three-legged metal cauldron, were hidden under the floor of a tenement house at Targ Rybny. All items from the treasure have survived in excellent condition with preserved gilding to our times. The belt, decorated with silver and gold applications, occupied an appropriate place in legacies in the Middle Ages. It was a valuable family heirloom and, at the same time, an excellent capital investment. In some cases, after the owner's death, the ornaments were melted down and made into a chalice which was then donated to the local church.

Małgorzata Peszko