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Details / Information for Tab

Tab

600s

Frankish, Migration period

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Medium
iron with silver overlay
Measurements
Overall: 9.1 x 5.8 cm (3 9/16 x 2 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1919.1009.b
Public Domain
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Location
106A Migration Period & Coptic
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Description

This tab would have been attached to a strip of leather worn around the waist. It was likely both an ornamental statement indicating social rank and a practical accessory. The decorative inlay was applied by forcing silver wire into a pattern engraved into the iron. The condition of the tab indicates that it was likely excavated, perhaps from a grave.
A vertical, shield-shaped iron tab tapers to a rounded bottom and features a dark, pitted surface. Thick, fragmented silver strips are inlaid in interlocking scrolls and winding, labyrinthine patterns across the center. Three large, domed studs with a dull green patina are positioned in a triangle at the top corners and lower center. The contrast between the rough iron and reflective silver highlights the intricate motifs of this weathered ancient fitting.

Tab

600s

Frankish, Migration period

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