Romano-British Bronze Disc Plate Brooch

With rolled rim and a large loop handle above; accompanied by a tapering glass pin with applied dolphin finial. 75 grams, 16.5 cm



Previously from a German private collection. Acquired Sotheby's, London, 13 & 14 July 1981, no.425 (illus). From a private Wiltshire, UK, collection. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages.

Diamond-section penannular body with scrolled finials and a round-section tapering pin. 4.12 grams, 35 mm



Ex European collection, 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.

The rider, Mithras-Sabatios, wearing a distinctive knee-length belted tunic and Persian trousers, with a riding cloak secured at each shoulder and the end folded over as a cowl; the left hand gathering the reins and the right extending a patera in offering; the horse surmounting a capital, with its remains preserved beneath the belly; mounted on a custom-made stand. 4.3 kg, 25.5 cm



Private collection, Bavaria, since the 1980s. Anonymous Sale; Gorny & Mosch, 29 June 2011, no.234. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12965-245245.

The composition closely recalls a small bronze of Mithras on horseback in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Getty Villa), acc. no. 71.AB.160. The rider's Eastern (Persian) costume suggests his identification with Mithras, the focus of a mystery religion which spread among the Roman legions from the 1st century BC onwards. The horse appears to be passing over a column, indicating that the piece likely formed part of a larger furniture mount or architectural fitting. If so, this would be an exceptionally rare representation, as equestrian images of Mithras are markedly less common than the familiar tauroctony.