Pair of 18th century Portuguese shoe buckles in silver and steel set with hand-cut rock crystals or “pastes”. Each piece is painted with a small black dot at the bottom to create the appearance of a culet at the bottom of a finely cut stone. The high arch of this matching pair was suitable for high-heeled “latchet” shoes in leather and silk worn by fashionable men and women of the time. Still present are the original working chape, tongue and spike used for attaching to the top of the shoes.

60 x 47 x 24 mm