This buckle has a remarkable amount of character. The type is usually referred to as “Bulgarian,” which does provide an indication to us today, but is not a very exact term as generally a buckle like this would have come from what historically is known as “Thrace” or somewhere close to that area.
This is very much an Ottoman piece, with the tulip shape pronounced in the centre. We believe that it almost certainly dates back to the 18th century, and was made for a person with a rather modest purse, as it mostly consists of a low grade silver alloy. It was used intensively. The stones are glass, and there is surviving gilding around them. The width is about 21 cm. We purchased this originally from Kajetan Fiedorowicz, but to an extent polished up the piece, which was almost black with tarnish. We refrained from over-cleaning, however.