Belt buckles doing double duty as guardians wasn't unusual in colonial-era India and Burma — plenty of them, this one included, carried deities into rather more mundane territory than temple carving usually allows. Cast and chased from a thick coin-silver body, it centres a four-armed female figure, quite possibly Lakshmi, goddess of fortune and a sensible choice for something meant to sit at the waist, set within openwork foliate scrollwork.
The border pulls its weight too, formed as two cobras coiling nose to tail around the buckle's edge — snake imagery being about as reliable a marker of protective intent as jewellery gets on the subcontinent. Whether the piece was made in India or Burma is one of those questions collectors get to keep debating over dinner; the workmanship and iconography sit comfortably in either camp. It's dated to the 1880's, and XRF testing confirms 900 standard silver, so at least the metal content isn't up for argument.
Worn on a belt or simply set on a shelf, it brings genuine narrative weight to a collection, particularly one built mostly around quieter Western pieces in need of some contrast.
Condition notes
Multiple lead repairs to reverse; small dings to silver along the hook part; some small losses to lotus flowers the woman is holding; small splits.
