Description:
An unusual shoe buckle with a bow-shaped frame, made of silver. The frame is decorated with faceted glass stones, known as paste, that feature black dots to give them depth. Additionally, each stone is foiled to resemble topaz.. The stones, while not fitted expertly, are nicely cut, and may have originated in Bohemia or Germany, where they were then exported to France, or possibly England. While craftsmen in either country could have made buckle, this example stylistically resembles those produced in France. While shoe buckles served a practical purpose, securing the latchets on shoes before ties came into fashion), the addition of decorative and reflective paste stones provided visual interest when they caught the light, lending a refined air to a man or woman's presentation of self.

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2014.22.2

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.