Lamp Drawing of Bull and Lion, 1722, Paper

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This 1722 engraving portrays an ancient lamp, intricately designed with the scene of tauroctony, which is a depiction of Mithras … Read more This 1722 engraving portrays an ancient lamp, intricately designed with the scene of tauroctony, which is a depiction of Mithras slaying a bull, a central motif in the mystery religion known as Mithraism. The image is taken from Bernard de Montfaucon's "L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures," particularly from volume 5.2 which focuses on funerals, lamps, tortures, and so forth, located between pages 228 and 229. In this engraving, the lamp is featured with a woman mounted on a bull, similar to representations of Mithras seen in the first volume of the same work. The woman appears to be wearing what the artist interpreted as wings, likely mistaking the cape of Mithras for this feature. No inscription accompanies this depiction, which adds to the difficulty of interpreting the scene, as noted by Montfaucon himself. Below the main depiction, another scene unfolds showing a battle between a bull and a lion, a symbolically rich tableau that may be referencing the power struggles typically depicted in Mithraic iconography. Montfaucon admits the challenges in providing an explanation for this particular figure due to the absence of inscriptions that would typically offer context or clarification. The engraving itself exhibits the typical finesse of the early 18th century with meticulous line work, indicating the decorative and symbolic nature of such artifacts used in ancient rituals or as commemorative objects. The lamp's design includes other symbols which may be associated with Mithras, although their exact meaning is not made clear by Montfaucon. See less