Buckle

Rectangular frame buckle, with rounded corners and slightly convex. Its inner profile widens at the height of the hinge pins. It is provided with a truncated pyramid-shaped lock or clamp that incorporates a single prong. It is not decorated in any way, which makes it a good example of the neoclassical aesthetic adopted by civil silverware for ornamental use from the last quarter of the 18th century onwards. That this was the case in Spain is also attested to by certain shoe and breeches buckles made between 1778 and 1779 by Barcelona craftsmen. It is a sobriety that contrasts powerfully with the decoration of the buckles dated in the middle years of the century. \Between 1765 and 1780 the Cordovan production of buckles was especially abundant. This is confirmed, for example, by the large number of models presented to the silversmiths' examination, more than one hundred and seventy between silver and gold ones. And also, as Valverde Fernández recalls, the lists of pieces of silverware taken out to fair by the local silversmiths, where we can find, for example, 'evillas de corbatín', 'ebikkas de distintos tamaños y echuras', 'hevillas labradas y lisas', 'ebillas lisas, chicas y grandes', 'juegos de ebillas de moda de hombre y mujer', etc.