Buckle, 3rd/4th century, Tanais [d/b]

Cloisonné inlay buckle, gold, garnet, light-green glass. Diam. 3 cm
Tanais, 3rd/4th century

“The buckle was discovered in a burial complex dating from the second half of the 3rd to the first half of the 4th century. The burial goods consisted of metal utensils (a bronze jug and a silver kantharos – a drinking vessel), silver toiletries (a flask, a spoon, a mirror, a nail pick, and a needle case), and gold jewelry (a torc, an earring, a pendant, and a necklace of various beads). Based on the grave goods, the burial in which this buckle was found was identified as female. It may have belonged to a member of the elite of the late Roman city of Tanais, a woman from the late antique Black Sea region.

The buckle has a round shield, a fixed U-shaped frame and a tongue in the form of a vertical pin, which is topped with a teardrop-shaped gold socket with a red stone. The center of the shield features inserts of opaque light-green glass, forming a cross-shaped pattern. Underneath the inserts are linings of thin gold foil. The back of the buckle is made of a single gold plate and features four small loops for attaching to the base, positioned opposite each other.

The enamel making process was labor-intensive. First, a metal base was prepared and polished. Then, gold and silver wire or thin plates were soldered onto it. The resulting recesses were filled with a special colored vitreous enamel and fired in a kiln. After the piece cooled, it was polished to impart a shine.
Granulation was also used in the creation of the piece.”