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18
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STATUE OF CAUTES, A DADOPHORE FROM THE MYTHRAIC CULT
Marble …
See original version (French)
18
-
STATUE OF CAUTES, A DADOPHORE FROM THE MYTHRAIC CULT
Marble …
See original version (French)
Estimate €28,000 - €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
STATUE OF CAUTES, A DADOPHORE FROM THE MYTHRAIC CULT
Marble with a yellowed patina
H. 67 cm (26 3/8 in)
Roman art, 2nd–3rd century
Provenance
Private European collection, 18th–19th century (as evidenced by earlier restorations)
French private collection
Published in F. Cumont, Textes et Monuments figurés relatifs aux Mystères de Mithra II, nos. 105 and
162, 1868
Votive statuette depicting Cautes, one of the two dadophores (torchbearers) accompanying the god Mithras in Mithraic iconography. The male figure is depicted standing, dressed in the Eastern style: a short, belted tunic, anaxyrides (Persian trousers), a chlamys fastened over the right shoulder and the characteristic Phrygian cap. His left arm is raised, holding a torch pointing upwards — a distinctive attribute of Cautes, in contrast to Cautopates, who holds his torch lowered. Curly hair spills out from beneath the headdress. The face, turned to the right, has idealised, youthful features.
On the base, in capital letters: HYMNUS INBICTO
That is, ‘Hymnus [dedicated this] to the Invincible’ — a classical votive formula referring to Sol Invictus or Mithras himself, the two deities being closely associated in the cult.
In Mithraic iconography, Cautes and Cautopates invariably flank the central scene of the tauroctony (Mithras sacrificing the bull). These twin figures, always dressed in the Persian style, embody complementary cosmic principles.
Together, they symbolise the solar and cosmic cycle at the heart of the Mithraic mysteries. Some scholars also see in them a representation of the ascending and descending nodes of the lunar orbit, linked to eclipses.
This statuette likely adorned a mithraeum (underground sanctuary), where it flanked the main cult image. Its considerable size (67 cm) suggests a sanctuary of substantial dimensions, perhaps linked to a military garrison or a prosperous community of initiates.
Parallels
- Newby Hall, Ripon / Yorkshire (Arachne ID: 1082929)
- Museo Gregoriano Profano ex Lateranense, Vatican Museums (Arachne ID: 1081008)
- Relief depicting Cautes, Archäologische Staatssammlung München (Arachne ID: 2169450)
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Lot description modified on 06/29/2026 at 4:59 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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