Belt buckle with griffon decoration

This Visigoth belt buckle is made up of a small, flat, solid bronze plate with a semi-circle at one extremity. The central area is pierced. The resulting hole would have been used to hold the belt in place, as there was no independent buckle. The other extremity of the belt is missing. The rear face of the plate has five small holes used to attach it to the leather of the belt.

The engraved decoration covers the whole face of the plate. The central scene depicts two quadrupeds, facing each other, drinking at a fountain. A border made up of a zigzag line embellished with points and a double interior line frames this scene. Although the engraving is schematic, the animals are easily recognisable as griffons.

Due to the exceptional condition of its decoration, this piece is considered as unique. The are however several less well conserved similar examples, in particular two other artefacts originating from the Los Pedroches area (Cordoba): a small fragment held by the Museum of Local History at Villenueva de Cordoba and a larger fragment, which constitutes more than half of the original object, at the Prasa Museum in Torrecampo (inv. n° 11.977). Another example originating from “the province of Cordoba” is conserved at the Episcopal Museum in Vic and yet another, perhaps from Andalusia, is held at the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz.

Using just the two artefacts from Mainz and Vic as evidence, G. Ripoli advances the hypothesis of the existence of a workshop in the province of Cordoba, where this type of object was manufactured. If we take into consideration the three pieces conserved in Torrecampo and Villanueva, it would seem reasonable to assume this workshop was situated in the north of the province, in the Los Pedroches region.

The development of local workshops was one of the characteristics of the period, between the reigns of Leovigido (r. 567 – 586) and Recaredo (r. 586 – 601), from which this piece originates. Due to the increase in Mediterranean trade, new shapes and decorative motifs were introduced throughout the Iberian Peninsula and gave birth to what is known today as the “Latino-Mediterranean style”.

The central motif of two griffons drinking from the fountain of life is a recurring theme found on artefacts from the Near and Middle East, which arrived in Spain after crossing the Mediterranean. This symbol was quickly adopted by the Christians, who adapted it by symbolising Christ as the source of eternal life. The graphic evolution of this symbol is remarkable. This example is the most classic with its use of a fountain. In the fragment held at Prasa Museum, the fountain is decorated with a cross, lending it the aspect of an altar. On the example to be found in Mainz, the fountain has been replaced by the head of Christ. 

This motif spread rapidly across Europe both in the Christian kingdoms and Andalusia, where the fountain was often replaced by the tree of life, in particular on objects originating from the so-called “Cuenca” workshop.