Bidspirit auction | ROMAN AMETHYST INTAGLIO WITH TAUROCTONY

ROMAN AMETHYST INTAGLIO WITH TAUROCTONY - MITHRAS SLAYING THE BULL - Ca. AD 1 - 50. An amethyst oval intaglio engraved with Mithras in a Phrygian cap and billowing cloak, leaning to the left as he slays the bull, his head turned away. A dog and a snake reach towards the bull?s neck, and a scorpion attacks it from behind. Sol appears at right as a radiate bust, and Luna at left with a crescent, with an altar on either side, the left surmounted by a raven. Three five-pointed stars are in the exergue. Size: 20.5mm x 24mm; Weight: 3.5g Provenance: Private London collection; Previous property of a North American Gentleman, London, 1990-2010.