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Girdle (Belt)

A work made of silver, gilding, basse taille enamel, on a modern velvet support.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver, gilding, basse taille enamel, on a modern velvet support.

Date:

c. 1325–c. 1375

Artist:

North Italian

About this artwork

Girdles or belts like this rare fourteenth-century example were important luxury accessories for men and women. Medieval and Renaissance fashion consisted of flowing gathers of fabric that were cinched at the waist. This long girdle would loop through a buckle, with the remaining length hanging with the costume. There are two silver-gilt fittings: a larger hook likely used to hold back the excess belt length, and another to carry small personal objects like a purse.

Frequently given as betrothal gifts, girdle designs often feature heraldic emblems or scenes of courtly love. On this example, silver plaques are coated with a layer of translucent glass enamel—called basse taille—which reveals the images engraved beneath. Here they depict a lady in prayer, the profile of a man, and even fantastical beasts. With the long end swaying back and forth with each step taken by the wearer, it is no wonder that much of this fragile glass enamel is nearly lost.

Status

On View, Gallery 238

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Girdle (Belt)

Place

Northern Italy (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1320–1380

Medium

Silver, gilding, basse taille enamel, on a modern velvet support

Dimensions

176.2 × 4.5 × 2 cm (69 1/4 × 1 3/4 × 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Old Masters Society; Wendel Fentress Ott, Betty Bell Spooner, and Harry and Maribel G. Blum funds

Reference Number

2018.131

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/241995/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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