Roman Bronze Horse and Rider Statuette

Comprising a squat conical body with a dimple at the base, long tubular neck with wide rim. 27 grams, 15 cm



From a London, UK, collection of glass, 1970-2000s.

With stepped domed base, the shank square in section and tapering with helmetted head, stub arms, chevron hatching to the chest and male genitals. 33 grams, 56 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

The naturalistic rendering of the animal is particularly evident in the modelling of the muscles and shaggy fur, which originally belonged to a multi-figure group intended for prominent display in an official space, such as a public bath, or in the private gardens of a luxurious villa; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 155 kg, 89 cm (long), 41 cm (high) excluding stand



Acquired in Brussels, circa 1980. with Christie's, South Kensington, 6 October 2011, no.121. Jean-David Cahn AG, Basel, Switzerland. Private collection, England. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00074876. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13079-249669.

The sculpture may represent the goat Amalthea, nurse of Zeus, one of the most famous animals in Graeco-Roman mythology. At the same time, it could simply be a representation of a ram, an animal typically sculpted in sacrificial reliefs of the Roman world.