A Roman marble mosaic panel
Circa 2nd-4th Century A.D.
Comprised of delicate polychrome tesserae in shades of cream, grey, brown, reddish brown and green, the scene dominated by the torso of a horned and bearded male figure, probably the centaur Chiron, his proper right arm extended and his left hand emerging from drapery, holding the reins of a horse, hanging loose below then clasped by a winged erote, the horse's head frontally facing with strands of the mane and forelock defined in brown and reddish tesserae, 103cm x 94.5cm
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Private collection, Mr K., Brussels.
Anonymous sale; Pierre Bergé, Paris, 1st December 2011, lot 411.
Acquired from the above by a private Foundation.
Property of a private UK collector.

Known for being the teacher of heroes the above lot could be showing the wise centaur taking in his newest pupil. As 'half-man' and 'half-horse' Chiron used this duality as a method in his teaching to show his students there is a time for reason and a time to listen to your inner nature. Chiron himself was taught by Apollo and Artemis who passed on their knowledge of archery, weaponry, prophecy, medicine and music.

Some of Chiron's most famous students were Achilles, Ajax, Jason, Theseus, Perseus and Asclepius. His death is brought about by being pierced with the tip of Hercules' poisoned Hydra arrows. The pain is so intense that Chiron swaps his immortality for the freedom of Prometheus. As a reward for being the tutor of heroes and men he is now represented as the constellation Sagittarius.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TP
TP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.

Overall the scene is clear, well depicted and the tesserae are well preserved and secure in the mount. It is set within a resin frame and the back has a metal plate for mounting and the mosaic can be moved by one person.

There is a patch of loss to the left of the horses face affecting the centre of the panel and part of the horse as visible in the catalogue illustration.

There are some very minor losses to the tesserae behind the centaurs head. There is a line passing horizontally through this area of loss and through the head where the tesserae appear to have been put back in place. There is a vertical line passing through the torso of the centaur, down and to the left, where there is a slightly more prominent gap between the tesserae. Approximately 3 tesserae are missing just above the elbow. There is also one tesserae missing below the horses left pupil.

On the drapery, in a vertical band just below the horses snout, there is slightly more wear to the surface. On the wings of the erote there are a few tesserae missing.

Overall the surface is uneven in places with pitting, scratching and light encrustation.