A Marble Cinerarium, Roman Imperial, reign of Claudius, A.D.41-54

of rectangular form, with fluted pilasters at the corners, imitation ashlar masonry on the short sides, and a central recessed panel in front surrounded by a rope pattern and finely engraved with three lines of Latin inscription translating "of Aulus Cornelius Afer, son of Aulus, of the Voltinia tribe," the pedimented lid with scrolls on the sides and carved in front with two confronted birds picking at a fruit or egg basket.

found in Rome in or shortly before 1886 in a small colombarium outside of the Porta Salaria, between the Vias Salaria and Pinciana

Giuseppe Gatti, Notizie degli scavi di antichità, 1886, p. 376, no. 148
Giuseppe Fiorelli, Bullettino della commissione archeologica comunale di Roma, 3rd series, 1886, p. 332, no. 1367
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL), vol. VI, p. 3618, no. 35019

base is broken off and completely separated from the walls, small areas of losses around the breakline, approx. 2 by 1inch fragment missing from top right corner of one of short sides, note chips to pilaster edges, architrave, and perimeters of scrolls, minor chips and scratches elsewhere, lid extremely dirty, professional cleaning of entire object recommended
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The upside-down F used to represent consonantal U (W/V) in the second line of inscription is the Eolic digamma and dates the present cinerarium to the reign of Claudius. The antiquarian emperor was responsible for introducing the digamma and two other letters (the so-called "Claudian letters") into the Roman alphabet; they were discontinued upon his death.