Relief of bluish marble of Mithras tauroktonos from Villa Doria Pamphili, Rome

TNMM 1071 ↔ CIMRM 532

Relief of bluish marble (H. about 0.66 Br. 1.02), walled in the back-wall of the Casino of the Villa Doria Pamphili.

Zoega, Abh., 149 No. 18; Matz-v. Duhn III, 142 No. 3757; MMM II 217 No. 44 and fig. 48; Schiavo, Villa Doria, 66 fig. 52.

In a cave Mithras, slaying the bull, whose tail ends in three ears. Beside the feet of Cautes (l), who leans against the rock-face, a cock and a pine-cone; beside Cautopates (r) a sheaf of corn and a sickle. The two torchbearers are standing cross-legged. The dog and the serpent hold their heads near the blood from the wound; the scorpion is at the testicles; the raven is perched on the god's flying cloak. In the l. upper corner Sol in a quadriga, of which the horses' heads are visible only; in the other corner Luna in a descending biga, drawn by two oxen. Sol has a radiate crown, Luna a crescent behind her shoulders.