Shoe Buckle 1784 - 1785

Crafted by Edward Fennel, this late 18th-century shoe buckle, though small, speaks volumes. The circular adornments that outline the buckle are reminiscent of ancient solar symbols. These circular motifs have been passed down since antiquity and across cultures as emblems of life-giving force and regeneration. From Egyptian sun disks to the haloed figures in Renaissance paintings, this shape embodies divinity. But here, on a humble shoe buckle, does it signify aspiration? Yearning? Perhaps the wearer subconsciously sought to elevate their status, tethering the celestial to the terrestrial with each step. Like the serpent eating its tail, the circle is an eternal return, a motif we keep on revisiting to soothe a profound, often-unspoken human desire for continuity. The buckle binds not just fabric, but time itself.