Parabiago Plate Explained

The Parabiago plate, also known as the Parabiago patera, is an ancient Roman circular silver plate depicting mythological figures. It was found in an ancient Roman cemetery at Parabiago, near Milan, in 1907, and is now in the Archaeological Museum of Milan. The plate depicts Cybele with her consort Attis in a "vast cosmic setting" amid "sun, moon, earth and sea, time and the seasons." At the time of its discovery, it was thought to have been used as a lid for a funerary amphora.

The plate is difficult to date. Earlier scholars tended to date it to the 2nd century CE, because of its classicizing style, but stylistic characteristics also permit a later date. Technical analyses, however, support a provenance in the 4th–5th centuries, even though it bears little stylistic resemblance to other silver pieces from that period.

Description

The plate weighs 3555 g and measures 390 mm in diameter. It has a foot-ring of 26 mm in height. The surface is worked with figures in high relief.