Tauroctony from Villa Borghese
TNMM 669 ↔ CIMRM 588
White marble relief (H. 0.67 Br. 0.97 D. 0.11), broken in two pieces. At first in Rome, Villa Borghese, nowadays Paris, Louvre, Inv. No. 1025. Second century.
Mithras, slaying the bull, whose tail ends in one ear. The dog, the serpent and the scorpion on the usual places; the raven on Mithras’ flying cloak. Cautes (1) and Cautopates (r), cross-legged. Cautes’ r.h. got lost. In the upper corners the busts of Sol (1) in radiate crown and of Luna (r) with crescent behind her shoulders. Both are looking at Mithras.
References
Jahn, Codex Pighianus, 190 No. 73; according to him the drawing of Pighius at Berlin (ms. lat. A 61 f. 27) probably represents the same No.; Bouillon, III, Basreliefs, PI. 15; Montelatici, Villa Borgh., 162; Clarac, Mus. Sculpt., II No. 59 and PI. 203 No. 59; Zoega, Abh., 148 No. 11; de Hammer, Mithriaca, 97 No. XXV and PI. XXIII; Lajard, Intr., PI. LXXVI, 1; Froehner, Not. Sculpt., 502 No. 571; MMM II 225 No. 58 and fig. 54. See fig. 164. We express our gratitude to the Direction of the Louvre for the courtesy in supply- ing the photographs and informations.
- Vermaseren, Maarten Jozef (1956) Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae
- Musée du Louvre (2023) relief.
