CIMRM 616

TNMM 1124 ↔ CIMRM 616

Fragment of a white marble relief (H. about 0.60 Br. about 0.67). According to Boissard it was in the 17th cent. "in aedibus Caesianis prope Vaticanum"; after- wards in the Library of the Villa Ludovisi (Zoega) and in the storehouse of the same Villa. ROMA 233 Boissard, Topogr., II, 192; Marliani, Topographia, 152; Ferruci, App. Pal., 341; Zoega, Abh., 149 No. 23b; Hammer, Mithriaca, 98; Schreiber, Ludovisi, 264 No. 339; MMM II 216 No. 41. Mithras, slaying the bull. The dog and the serpent are present; the raven on the god's flying cloak. On a base a little torchbearer with upraised torch is standing cross-legged. The upper part of his body and his feet have got lost. The other torchbearer (r), whose lower part of the body and arms are lacking, holds the torch upraised as well. The relief is lost; therefore it is not quite certain, ifthis is the work, purchased by Janes in Rome in 1893 (see No. 606). The attitude of the torchbearers, raising their torches, tells in favour of this hypothesis; the size however, tells against it (c/. MMM I 364 No. 67bis). Marliani mentions still another relief "affixum muris aedium Sancti Marci sub turri in ipsa plate a" (MMM II 481 No. 41).