Ca. 500-600 AD.A stunning example of a gold belt buckle with a D-shaped loop with a curved tongue, and a lozenge-shaped plaque with garnet insets. 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.Size: L:31mm / W:21mm ; 13.9gProvenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s.