A Gold and Enamel Belt Buckle, Granada, Spain, Nasrid period (A.D.1230-1492), 14th Century

gold body of rectangular form with lobed and attenuated thumb-piece with filigree-work and granulation in the form of scrolling foliage, three panels enamelled in white, green, red and blue, with the words "'Izz li Mawlana" and "Al-Sultan," the central panel with interlocking motif featuring an eight-pointed star, the lock with a single boss

inscriptions
'izz li-mawlana / al-sultan

'Glory to our lord, the Sultan'

This extremely rare buckle is an extraordinary example of the art of the goldsmith in 14th-century Islamic Spain. The buckle combines granulation technique (in which tiny spheres of gold, individually soldered, cluster together), and cloisonné enamel (in which tiny particles of red, white and green glass are fused to metal within areas defined by gold wire). The quality of the goldsmith's work suggests a patron of the highest level, as confirmed by the royal inscription. The piece must have been worn either by the sultan himself or someone very close to him.

Published records currently show the existence of only three other enamelled pieces from 14th-century Nasrid Spain which are entirely made of gold. The rest of the extant production consists of either gilt silver or bronze. Including our buckle the four gold pieces are as follows: 

1. Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, inv. no. I/4941-4944, belt element, H 6 cm. L 13 cm., 14th century (Schmuck im Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, 1998, p.75, pl.10, p.102, no.35)

2. Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, buckle, inv. no. 44.151.I.T.93, H 11.2 cm. L 10.2 cm., 13th-14th century (Valérie Gonzalez, Emaux d'al-Andalus et du Maghreb, Aix-en-Provence, p.113, fig.76)

3. Cathedral of Toledo, Treasury of Sancho IV, buckle, H 4.5 cm., 13th century (ibid., p.171, fig.132)

4. The present buckle (previously unpublished)

In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, there is a set of enamelled elements from a necklace entirely made of gold, inv. no. 17.190.161a-j. However, the set displays a Christian inscription which reveals it as a much later work than the other four pieces, and places it at the end of the 15th century.

In terms of its beauty and rarity, this is a museum-quality piece of outstanding importance.