File:Medieval zoomorphic buckle plate (FindID 485448).jpg

English: A copper alloy plate from a medieval buckle. Only the front plate and one rivet survive. It is rectangular with a rectangular panel within which is a design in relief of a lion passant. The hinge end of the plate has broken off. The plate is gilded on the front. There is a dome headed rivet surviving in one corner and a rivet hole in the other. The metal has a light green patina.

Similar examples are illustrated in Egan and Pritchard's (1991) Dress Accessories and date from the thirteenth century. Two similar examples are also shown in Meols (Griffiths et al. 2007, p.107, pl.18) no.851&2 and parallels mentioned here date from the ?12th/early 13th century and the late 13th/early 14th century. This is a fairly common design of buckle plate and other examples on the database include SWYOR-7198F2, SWYOR-2F6285 and SWYOR-B4EB93. However, this example is unusual because the design is orientated to be the right way up when the buckle loop is at the top with the plate hanging down. Most are arranged so the loop goes at one side of the other. A few on the database are designed to be worn with the loop downwards: SOM-FDB947, NMS-395B56 and DENO-503244.