What is this design on an early colonial buckle??

[Bill D. (VA)]

Found this a long time ago at a 17th century site, and thought it might be the image of a cherub which was popular during the period. Can anyone confirm or deny this ID? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Looks like a Roman Helmet to me. Cool find!!

 

[Tony in SC]

Looks more like a head dress to me, maybe African/slave?

 

[Duke]

all i can say is my first thought was it looks like a native american. i also now see the african headdress but maybe do a bit of research to see if anyone made anything like that depicting native people. also i understand that they learned metal working from europeans but i am far, far from an expert. either way i would put a little tag on it with where i found it. definitely cool .

 

[CRUSADER]

Clearly part of a very large spectacle buckle. With a face at each end. It's not a design I have seen before, but I can speculate based on similar things I have seen. It was either a matching pair at each end or a strong possibility is a woman's face at one end & a male at the other. To me it's seems more European than British, & 17th C or earlier. (I think that its a Woman with some kind of head gear)

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Clearly part of a very large spectacle buckle. With a face at each end. It's not a design I have seen before, but I can speculate based on similar things I have seen. It was either a matching pair at each end or a strong possibility is a woman's face at one end & a male at the other. To me it's seems more European than British, & 17th C or earlier. (I think that its a Woman with some kind of head gear)

Thanks for your expertise Cru. I'm now even more intrigued by this piece.