Belt Clasp, Late 19th Century, Brass

A belt clasp with three elongated links featuring a floral motif and three shorter ones, decorated with baroque child faces, including intermediate chains and a fastening clasp. Length: 102 cm, Width: 3 cm. It was made in the late 19th century.

Belt clasps were typically an accessory to women’s traditional attire, primarily serving a decorative and status-symbol role, but at times they also functioned as a means to carry house keys and other items. They were an important accessory in women’s clothing culture, present in various historical periods and forms, and were worn by women from all social classes. Noblewomen wore gold and silver belts and belt clasps, while bourgeois women typically wore brass or silver ones, some partially gilded. Peasant belt clasps were rarely made of silver; they were mostly crafted from iron or brass.

Since belt clasps are relatively rare in the folk costumes of European nations compared to those of our region, ethnologists believe they were mostly produced by local artisans. Goldsmiths’ and especially belt makers’ workshops, where these clasps were made, were located in Mengš, Maribor, Ljubljana, and other places.

This belt clasp is part of the collection of Mara Pucelj from Kamnik, housed in the Kamnik Municipal Museum.

Literature: Janja Žagar, Belts and Belt Clasps, SEM Library, Ljubljana, 1993.