VISIGOTH BRONZE DECORATED BELT TIP

Ca. AD 500 - 700 A Visigoth bronze belt tip featuring a design that is depicted in high relief, with certain portions of it chased with diagonal striations. The smooth inner edges of the borders slope down to the depressed areas which are filled with deeply engraved lines and punched circles, possibly representing highly abstracted plants and animal designs. The edges are chased with hatching and there is cross-hatching on the end of the tongue. The recessed reverse of the plate is fitted with two cast lugs for attachment to a now-lost belt. For similar see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 66.152.2.
Size: 60mm x 20mm; Weight: 19g
Provenance: Private UK collection, acquired on the Belgian art market.

Estimate: GBP 150 - 300