The belt buckle shown is in the shape of a pointed arch also known as the ogive. Inspired by a motif which appears in the design vocabulary of the Thais around the 14th century, the ogive shape would be the characteristic shape for the Malay belt buckle or ‘pending’ over the next 400 years. The Peranakans would also borrow this shape for their belt buckles but they rounded the corners in their own stylised manner.
