Ca. 500-700 AD. A gold belt or shoe buckle comprising a round-section loop, and a curved tongue with the tip resting on the loop. The adjacent oval-shaped plaque is decorated with a beaded frame and fine granules and centered with a large garnet cabochon. Good condition. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, other cultures began to evolve, grow and eventually prosper and their culture and art thrived. The Merovingians (476-750 AD) were one such group and they are traditionally reckoned as the "first race" of the kings of France. For more information on Merovingian buckles and belts, see Effros, B. & Moreira, I. (2020). The Oxford Handbook of the Merovingian World. Oxford University Press. For a comparable example, see Bonhams, Antiquities, London, 1 May 2013, Lot 248, sold for £ 1,250.Size: L:40.2mm / W:32.5mm ; 36.61gProvenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market since the 1970s.