Belt ornament with chrysanthemum design

This Korean Goryeo dynasty belt buckle is an excellent example of the period’s sophisticated metalwork. Two cast-silver frames form the buckle’s two decorated panels, which probably were attached to a leather belt. The buckle’s high-relief work on the right side depicts tree peonies, leaves, branches, and blossoms. The left panel features herbaceous or bush peonies in low relief. Here, the artist worked the metal from behind using a beating and impressing technique similar to repoussé.1 Peonies are auspicious symbols in Korea associated with prosperity, nobility, feminine beauty, and love.

Yvonne J. Markowitz, “Belt Ornament” in Artful Adornments: Jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Yvonne J. Markowitz (Boston: MFA Publications, 2011), 129.