Przeworsk belt buckle, silver, Poland, 17th century.
6000,00 zł
The buckle is a part of the fastener of the Przeworsk belt, was made of silver and dates back to the 17th century. Przeworsk belts were part of the representative attire of the Polish nobility, so the buckles were decorated with striking scenes and rich ornamentation. This is a larger, massive piece, rather intended for a man. The central part of the buckle is filled with a figural scene showing a man holding a scepter or torch, depicted between two standing griffins. The spaces between the figures are filled with single swirls and flowers typical of Baroque design. An engraved geometric pattern is placed on the slanted sides of the buckle. At the edges of the scene the heads of the fastening rivets are visible, and on the side of the buckle there is a cast openwork application, the so-called “tongue”.
1 in stock
Motifs used in brackets
Goldsmiths making Przeworsk belt buckles were eager to use motifs well known from the applied arts of the time, copying and processing patterns from copperplates, furniture woodcarving, architectural decorations or book bindings. As a result, both floral and geometric ornaments appeared on the buckles, as well as characteristic columns that gave the composition an antique look, referring to ancient aesthetics.
Various figural figures, chosen rather freely, were also often placed there; they could be mythological or fantastic motifs, or taken from the literature of the time and popular copperplates. Usually they did not have a specific meaning; they served as decorative fillings used according to available patterns and matrices, without a deeper iconographic intention.
Historical context
Przeworsk belts appeared in the costumes of Polish nobility at the end of the 16th century, and in the 17th century they became a symbol of prestige, representativeness and property status.
Artistic qualities
The buckle is distinguished by the combination of three different modes of decoration applied to a small area: a relief scene, an engraved pattern on the slanted sides and an openwork cast element.
Collector's value
Very high - They appear extremely rarely on the market, and each piece is unique, as it was handmade by a goldsmith and differs in details of form and ornament. For collectors and museums, these objects are particularly valued as flagship examples of Polish Sarmatism - combining Baroque decorativeness, individual style and an element of ancient representative dress. Thus, the preserved buckle is not only a market rarity, but also an important witness of the material culture of the Republic of the nobility.
The relief scene on the buckle was probably made using the lost-wax technique, one of the oldest casting methods. It involved forming a model from wax, which was then coated with a layer of clay to create a mold. After drying and heating, the clay hardened and the wax leaked or burned. Liquid metal was poured into the hollow mold thus created, and after it was broken, the casting was subjected to chiseling.
| Weight | 0,231 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 19 × 8,5 × 5 cm |
| Type |
Conductor belt buckle |
| Form |
Base of a truncated pyramid with a relief scene and an openwork "tongue" on the side |
| Materiał |
Silver |
| Kolorystyka |
Silver |
| Technika |
Casting ,Chiseling ,Forging ,Riting |
| Czas powstania |
17th century |
| Era |
Baroque |
| Kraj pochodzenia |
Poland |
| State of preservation |
Very good, rubbed out relief scene details |
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