A ROMAN BRONZE MITHRAS TAUROCTONOS

CIRCA 3RD CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN BRONZE MITHRAS TAUROCTONOS
Circa 3rd Century A.D.
The god depicted astride the bull, kneeling with his left knee at the center of the bull's back, his right foot resting on the animal's splayed right hind-leg, the fingers of his left hand over the bull's mouth, yanking its head back acutely in order to reveal the jugular vein, his right arm lifted back preparing to strike with his now-missing dagger, the god clad in his characteristic Phrygian cap, Persian costume and billowing cape
6½ in. (16.5 cm) long

Provenance

F.J. Marx Collection, prior to 1970
German Private Collection

Lot Essay

The image of the sun god Mithras sacrificing the bull was the most essential and repeated element in a temple to Mithras. It was the universal symbol for the cult that consistently appeared in mithraea throughout the entire Roman Empire during this period. This representation of Mithras in the perpetual act of sacrifice illustrates the god as forever in the process of granting salvation to the believers of the cult.

More from Antiquities

View All