Mithridates

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This statue appears to be a depiction of Mithridates, also known as Mithradates the Great (Megas) and Eupator Dionysius, who ruled Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from around 120-63 BC. Mithridates is remembered for being one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and successful enemies, who clashed with three prominent generals from the late Roman Republic during the Mithridatic Wars: Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Lucius Licinius Lucullus, and Gnaeus Pompey Magnus. He is often considered the greatest ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus. Interestingly, Mithridates was rarely represented in artworks, but those busts that still exist show him looking nothing like this statue (see image below). In this bronze reproduction, cast by E. Gastecloux at The Academy of Fine Arts, St Petersburg, he wears an ivy/grape crown and beard, possibly symbolizing his association with the God Bacchus or a philosopher. If you have any further information about this statue, please get in touch!