Knee buckle

Status

Not on view

Label Text

This buckle was once used to secure the knee bands on a pair of breeches, thereby dressing up an outfit for a formal occasion. The rectilinear frame adorned with sparkling pastes - rhinestones made of glass - is indicative of the neoclassical taste for bold geometric forms. George Washington may have presented it to his cousin, Warner Washington (1715-1791), of "Fairfield" in Clark County, Virginia. Washington often visited his cousin while attending to business related to his western land holdings.

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Date1770-1790

Geography Made - England

Medium/TechniqueSilver, paste, iron

DimensionsOverall: 1 5/8 in. x 1 1/8 in. x 5/16 in. (4.14 cm x 2.87 cm x 0.79 cm)

Credit LineGift of Alice Fairfax Hollis, 1967

Object numberW-2501

DescriptionSmall rectangular buckle set with faceted, foil-backed glass pastes along the cast metal frame; two of the pastes are missing from their settings, located at twelve and three o'clock on the frame; iron chape with a cooking pot shaped loop roll with three small spikes and a three pronged tongue hinged on a central pin.

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