Aion of Orazio Muti
TNMM 113 ↔ CIMRM 382
Marble statue, "alto da 5 palmi"; now lost.
Montfaucon, Diarium, 198; Zoega, AM., 204 n. 8. The known drawings of this monument are to reduce to an engraving of Pietro S. Bartoli, who should have made it from the description of Vacca, whose manuscript he had in his possession (cf. Hoeck, Vet. Med. Mon.). Montfaucon, Ant. Expl., I (2), 369, PI. CCXV, 1; Seel, 226 and PI. Vila; MMM II I96f No. 10a and fig. 21 ; Lanciani, Storia Scavi, III, 200.
A naked figure with monstruous lion’s head is standing on a globe. At his shoulders four wings are attached in opposite direction. The serpent is winding itself around the globe, entwines the god himself and slips its head into his mouth (Aion). In each hand he holds a key.
‘I remember there was found in the vineyard of Sig. Orazio Muti (where the treasure was discovered), opposite S. Vitale, an idol in marble about 5 palms high (3¾ ft.), standing erect upon a pedestal in an empty chamber, which had the door walled up. This idol had the head of a lion, but the body that of a man. Under the feet was a globe, whence sprung a serpent which encompassed all the idol, and its head entered into the lion’s mouth. He had his hands crossed upon the breast, with a key in each; four wings fastened upon the shoulders, two pointing upwards, two downwards. I do not consider it a very antique work, being done in a rude manner, or else indeed it was so ancient that at the time when it was made the good style was not yet known.
Sig. Orazio, however, told me that a theologian, a Jesuit Father, explained its meaning by saying it signified the Devil, who, in the times of heathenism, ruled over the world: hence the globe under his feet, the serpent which begirt his body and entered into his mouth, signified his foretelling the future with ambiguous responses; the keys in his hands, his sovereignty over the world; the lion’s head, his being the ruler of all beasts; the wings, his presence everywhere. Such was the interpretation given by the Father aforesaid.
I have done everything to see the idol, but Sig. Orazio being now dead, his heirs do not know what has become of it. It is not, however, unlikely that by the advice of the same theologian, Sig. Orazio may have sent it to some limekiln to cure its dampness, for it had been buried many and many a year.’
Thus was this most interesting monument destroyed through the conceited ignorance of a wretched ecclesiastic, himself more truly a worshipper of the Evil Principle, than was the ancient votary of the beneficent Lord of Light who carved that wondrous image. Vacca adds, ’I remember, there was found in the same place, after the above-mentioned idol, another, only in bas-relief, also having a lion’s head, but the rest of the body human: with the arms extended, in each hand a torch; with two wings pointing upwards, two downwards, from between which issued a serpent.
References
- Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae
- Aix-Marseille Université (2025) ‘Lion-headed statue of winged Mithra with snake (Montfaucon, Diarium Italicum, 1702)’. Utpictura18.
- Charles William King (1887) The Gnostics and Their Remains.
- Flaminio Vacca (1594) Memorie di varie antichità trovate in diversi luoghi della città di Roma.
Comments
The other image with the female holding the torches, reminds me of an Persian
mythology.
About serpent goddess of the underworld giving a visitor three feathers on his return home to the land of the living. She tells him if he is ever in need of her divine wisdom to burn one of here feathers and she will come to his aid where ever he may be. He enters the underworld by sacrificing a black bull.
So weird because snakes don’t have feathers. And how simply burning a feather would bring one face to face with the true pure light of a Goddess of the underworld seems unlikely. When it took a sacrificial bull ritual to get him there before.
I guess it’s know surprise they are placing riddles hidden meaning in the mystery’s images and mythology’s. Seems as if it would be sacrilegious to decipher much of it to completely online. I feel obligated to maintain secrecy even with my merger probably false interpretations. I hope one day with more research I can more fully understand what I am attempting to interpret.