An interesting piece has appeared on the art market.
A Roman marble statue of Cautes will be offered for sale at the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo on 8 July through Drouot, with an estimate of €28,000–30,000.
Measuring 67 cm in height and bearing the inscription HYMNUS INBICTO, the sculpture closely matches (and may well be identical to) the long-lost torchbearer published as
TNMM 1150; CIMRM 645–646, reportedly discovered near
Torrita in ancient
Etruria during the early nineteenth century before disappearing into private collections.
If the identification proves correct, this would represent the reappearance of a Mithraic monument that has been absent from scholarly view for decades.
