Belt buckle made of chiseled and gilded bronze, set with stones.

This belt buckle is crafted from chiseled and gilded bronze, with a surface adorned with a delicately engraved design. The borders feature stylized half-flower motifs, flanked on each side by set stones. At the center of one piece is an amethyst framed by jadeites, while the other piece features an Egyptian scarab in turquoise at its center—added later—and surrounded by four additional jadeites.

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Chinese costume accessories such as belt buckles played an important role in ceremonial attire. Under this emperor’s reign, these objects combined practical function with symbolic value, serving to display social status and aesthetic taste. Stones such as jadeite were particularly prized because they evoked purity, longevity, and virtue in Chinese culture.

Examples similar to ours are now preserved in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Reference : National Palace Museum, “Catalogue of the exhibition of Ch’ing dynasty costume accessories”.