Name of Object:

Belt with buckles

Other name of the Object (second name):

Articles of adornment worn at the waist – pafti

Name in original language:

Pojas so pafti

Location:

Skopje, North Macedonia

Holding Institution:

Museum of Macedonia

 About Museum of Macedonia, Skopje

Date of Object:

End of 19th – early 20th century

Inventory Number:

1470 & 2219

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Cotton fabric, srma – silver and gold-wrapped thread, braids. Buckles: silver, hammering, decorative stones

Dimensions:

Belt: 88 x 7.5 cm, buckles: 27 x 12 cm

Provenance:

V. Bardovci near Skopje

Description:

Buckles were the most prominent articles of adornment worn by Macedonian women. They were also the most frequently worn pieces of jewellery, having been an inevitable element of folk costumes in all parts of Macedonia. Combining functionality and aesthetics, buckles were also considered to play a protective role. The diverse shapes – round, rectangular, leaf-shaped, etc., as well as the exquisite style of their decorating, show the remarkable skill and talent of goldsmiths producing them. These buckles consist of two slightly concave round plates joined with a little round piece used for fastening. They are adorned with decorative stones and decorated with geometric patterns applied by hammering. The belt is made of cotton fabric decorated with geometric and floral patterns by application of silver and gold-wrapped thread and braids.

Citation of this web page:

Milena Petrovic, ethnologist "Belt with buckles" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;mc;1;en

Prepared by: Milena Petrovic, ethnologist
Copyedited by: Daniel de la VegaDaniel de la Vega

Daniel de la Vega is a copy editor based in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2014 and has since done editing and localization work on everything from college applications to magazines to video game dialogue.

MWNF Working Number: MC 001