This is a classic pair of Artois-style buckles from the end of the American Wars, but probably pre-dating the French Revolution of 1789. Eley (worked from 1770, died in 1824) of Clerkenwell Green, London, a silversmith, was the king of 18th-century bucklemakers and the inventor of the patent spring clip mechanism.

This is a particularly nice pair of buckles, which typically would have been worn at court or on special occasions. The base is silver-plated bronze with ormolu ornaments (the gilt elements on the frame).

This is a silver buckle (62mm across) dating from c 1770 on stylistic grounds. There is a 19th-century French purity stamp (.800) in the shape of a boar's head punch, introduced in 1838 for all silver being sold openly in the marketplace or a shop.