2nd century AD. A squatting mouse figurine, the muzzle resting on its front paws, short tail. Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 264, for similar figure. 44.8 grams, 43mm (1 3/4"). From a private collection formed in the Netherlands; previously in a European collection formed prior to 1980. In ancient Rome the mouse (rattus) was considered a symbol of good luck, and a white rat was an emblem of Jupiter and Apollo. In Christian times it was seen as the incarnation of destructive power, and therefore as a symbol of Satan.