BUCKLE PLATE in silver chased in flat and gilded... Lot 3

BUCKLE PLATE in silver chased in flat and gilded with a piece of glass imitating garnet set on the barb. The plate is rounded at one end and is decorated with an animal in profile, lying on its elongated forelegs and hindquarters raised, its tail returning to its back; the reverse side is hollowed out, probably to receive a leather protection. Late Avar Empire, 7th / 8th century Height: 3.2 cm - Length: 7 cm (worn with gilding, green-grey spots) Provenance: old collection, Austria The presence of this lying, griffin-like animal links this rare loop-plate to the miserly culture that often depicted this motif on its jewellery and clothing accessories. The nomadic Avar people, who probably fled from the territory dominated by the ancient Turkish khagan, occupied the Carpathian Basin in the year 568. Its territory extended as far as the Danube, including present-day Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Serbia. The kingdom of the Avars came to an end with the conflict with Charlemagne; defeated several times, it did not survive after 822. Several belt elements, plaques or buckles with the same decorative theme have been found in necropolises. Examples can be seen in the Hungarian National Museum (figs. a and b) and in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv.52.51.1, fig.c). Work consulted: Exhibition Venice 2008, Rome and the Barbarians - Birth of a New World, Palazzo Grassi, cat. 413-423.