Roman Bronze Horse Plate Brooch

A mixed group of two hundred and fifty single tesserae of various colours and sizes, mostly cuboid. 361 grams total, 8-12 mm



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

Roman mosaics were made from small cubes of natural stone and terracotta possibly cut from tile or brick. Each of these small cubes was called a tessera (plural tesserae) from the Latin word for dice.

Carved in the round as a bust of a child with short hair combed into a peak, fleshy features, lips slightly parted in a smile, fitted to an 18th century marble pedestal; mounted on a display stand with collection note 'Buste d'Enfant / Epoque Romaine / 1er Siècle'. 6.12 kg total, 30 cm including stand



Collection of B. Poindessault (1935-2014), France, acquired before October 1975. Oger & Blanchet Enchères, Paris, 2014. German private collection, Cologne. Private collection, acquired in 2015. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Marina Mattei. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000104583 Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.167453. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12931-246329.

The finely sculpted head represents a young child, probably intended as Eros (Cupid). Such depictions were produced in numerous variations to illustrate the stages of childhood and the capacity of children to undertake meaningful or symbolic actions. The softly modelled features and gentle expression recall the celebrated work of Boethos, The Boy Strangling the Goose, as well as the widespread images of Eros and the Erotes found throughout Greco-Roman sculpture and painting. In Greco-Roman art, representations of children occupied an important and evolving role. Initially, youthful figures were portrayed as miniature adults, but from the 4th century BC onwards - particularly during the Hellenistic and Roman periods - artists began to study children’s anatomy more closely, reproducing their characteristic proportions and expressions with naturalistic sensitivity. The figure of Eros, the constant companion of Aphrodite, became the quintessential model of the child in ancient art, identifiable by his traditional attributes of wings and bow. As evidenced by numerous statuettes and wall paintings unearthed at Pompeii, scenes of childhood were among the most popular subjects for adorning the gardens and interiors of wealthy Roman villas. These figures appear in lively and varied activities - playing, working, performing, or interacting with animals such as birds, hares, and dolphins - celebrating both the charm and vitality of early life within an idealised artistic vision.

Comprising an elliptical-section bow with D-shaped chord and spring extending to the pin; rectangular foot with catch to the reverse; top of catch extended to a wire coiled about the lower bow. 29 grams, 81 mm



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.