Bronze Metroacic Plaque – Cybelus And Attis

Northern Gaul – Gallia Belgica (according to Julius Caesar's terminology) 2nd – 3rd century AD. Cast bronze; green archaeological patina with dark brown hues. Length: approx. 17.5 cm (Old damage to the right end). DESCRIPTION: Important bronze Metroac plaque, belonging to the well-documented series of cult appliqués dedicated to the goddess Cybele, intended for the ornamentation of chests, ritual chariots, or architectural elements related to the Metroac cult. In the center, a frontal bust of Cybele, wearing a turreted crown decorated with dotted circles. She wears a garment richly adorned with incised dots, from which two straps extend, tied across her chest, according to a strictly codified iconography. The goddess is flanked by two facing lions, whose hind paws rest on her shoulders. Their forequarters rest on inverted cornucopias, forming a symmetrical composition of great symbolic coherence. At the curved extremities are fixed two busts of Attis, wearing Phrygian caps, emerging from floral motifs and grafted onto inverted pine cones, symbols of fertility, rebirth, and the cycle of life. Openwork plaque, high-quality cast iron. Unworked reverse showing traces of old removal indicating an original attachment. Exceptional old patina, dense and homogeneous, without modern repairs. Old damage to the right side, without affecting the legibility of the image. PARALLELS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY National Library of France, Cabinet of Medals, no. 1456, formerly in the collection of the Count of Caylus, discovered at Bavai before 1756. Bavai excavation site, no. Z. 6504, discovered in 1951. Type extensively studied by F. Cumont, S. Reinach, H. Graillot, G. Faider-Feytmans. PROVENANCE Formerly in a private collection. ESTIMATE €6,000 – €9,000

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