Tauroctonia del Cortile del Belvedere

TNMM 210 ↔ CIMRM 546 & 547

In a cave Mithras, slaying the bull, whose tail ends in three ears. Above Mithras' flying cloak his bow and quiver. On the border of the cave the raven is perched. Further the scorpion at the testicles; the serpent creeping over the ground; the dog with hanging tongue running towards the bull.

In the upper corners, outside the cave-vault, the bust of Sol in nimbus and crown of seven rays, and the bust of Luna with a crescent behind her shoulders, on the horns of which are stars.

The noses of Mithras and Sol are added; Luna's nose got lost. Slight traces of a reddish painting. In a field below the scene an inscription.

White marble relief (76x75 cm) with tauroctony and inscription, found probably in Rome, mid 2nd century CE. Currently preserved in Rome, Musei Vaticani – Cortile Belvedere (inv. MV870).

The relief was bought by the Vatican Collection between 1775 and 1792. It features the taruoctony scene. Inside a rocky arch resembling a natural cave, Mithras, dressed in eastern attire but without shoes, plunges his dagger in the shoulder of the bull while grasping the animal by the nostrils. Behind the flying cloak of the god, two objects emerge: a bow and a quiver. The bull is pressed to the ground and from its tail three ears sprout. The dog and the snake can be seen at the usual places. The raven is on the left, perched on the rocky margin of the cave. The scorpion is not at the usual place: it could possibly be recognized under the dog. On the top left corner, we can recognize Sol’s bust, with radiate crown, whereas on the opposite corner the bust of Luna, emerging from a crescent with two stars. The absence of the torchbearers is quite unusual, but the extreme left and right bands seem to have been compromised possibly still in antiquity.

Under the relief is placed a dedicatory inscription which can be dated between the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 3rd century CE.