File:Roman copper alloy zoomorphic plate brooch (FindID 495021).jpg

English: A Roman, copper alloy horse and rider brooch, measuring 26.3mm in length, 20mm in width, and 5mm in depth. The brooch weighs 2.35 grams, and is missing the head of the rider as well as parts of the horse's legs.

The brooch depicts the profile of a horse and rider facing right. The rider's body is characterised by two of the brooch's four cells; an unusually thick linear cell depicting the rider's arm running from his shoulder to the body of the horse, and a smaller circular cell beneath the 'arm' cell.

The horse has retained greater detail than that of its rider. A succession of notches has been used to suggest its mane, and a slightly raised circle denotes its eye. The face and snout of this horse are particularly narrow, and end in a slightly opened mouth. The remaining two cells of the brooch are on the body of the horse; one large elongated oval on the chest, and one cell running the length of the body and ending in an elaborate curl above the horse's hind leg. The remnants of the horse's legs suggest a design meant to imply speed of movement. For example the front leg is bent at the knee and prancing ahead of the main body of the horse. What remains of the tail is set in a high-arched position.

The reverse of the brooch is mostly flat and shows much of the remains of the catchplate and the lug, which contains traces of an iron pin.