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An ancient Celtic / Romano-British bronze horse and rider sculpture, dating to the third century AD and found in Peterborough, UK.
The figure shows a characteristic fusion of Native Celtic styles with the Roman tradition. Whilst the figure is shown wearing a crested helmet and what appears to be a toga, the depiction of his face and body bear little resemblance to contemporary statues from Rome. His eyes are almond shaped and his mouth, slit-like. His limbs are also heavily stylised. He is shown sat atop a horse, his right arm raised to hold a spear, now lost. His left has been severed in what was almost certainly an intentional, votive act.
The horse has a more 'Roman' look to it and is shown in an elegant posture, his head turned to the right and his right leg raised.
These Rider figures are commonly thought to represent a Celtic version of the Roman God Mars. The British Celts identified with Mars as his association with battle and strength appealed to their way of life. They appear to have equated him with their own God, 'Nodens', whose name is known primarily from a site at Lydney Park in Gloucestershire.
Horse and Rider depictions are well known in Roman Britain and it seems that they were worshipped in a cult-like fashion and deposited as votives at religious sites. There seems to be a concentration of these finds in East Anglia and it is interesting to note that a similar horse and rider, recently auctioned for 19,000 US$, was found in Stow Cum Quy, Cambridgeshire and reported under the portable antiquities scheme.
Votives:
When archaeologists and scholars talk of 'votive' objects they refer to the concept that many ancient cultures had that a physical offering to a God could attract a favour in return. In this way ancient religions can be viewed as a 'market place' where favour could be bought with offerings. When a shrine or temple-goer deposited a gift he would often indicate the area he needed help with, in this way 'giving the god a clue'! This can be seen on the present example where the riders left arm has been severed, perhaps indicating that its dedicant had an ailment of his upper arm.
Height of Figure, mounted: 2 1/8 inches.
Length: 2 1/8 inches.
Provenance: Ex Private collection, UK. Found by a metal detectorist at Peterborough, UK and purchased in the early 1990's.
An extremely rare Celtic bronze sculpture.
Please note that an export license may be required to ship this item outside the UK.
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