Roman Bronze Trumpet Whorl Brooch

With broad flange rim, tapering neck and globular body with narrow base. 27 grams, 82 mm



From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The edge of a diploma with eight partial lines of text to one side, and six partial lines to the other side; the restored text to the point of textual overlap between obverse and reverse; full stop is used for subscript dot: remains of letter with uncertain reading: Tabella I extrinsecus (obverse): [imp(erator) caes(ar) divi hadriani f(ilius) divi traiani] [part(hici) nepos divi ne]RVA.[e pron(epos) t(itus) aelius] [hadrianus anto]NINVS AVG(ustus) PIVS [pont(ifex) max(imus) trib(unicia) pot(estate) xx i]MP(erator) II CO(n)S(ul) IIII P(ater) P(atriae) [equitib(us) et peditib(us) q]VI MILIT(averunt) IN ALIS [ii quae appell(antur) i claudia] N.OVA MISCELL(anea) [et i gallor(um) flaviana et c]OHORT(ibus) X [v gallor(um) et pannonior(um) et v hisp]ANOR(um) [et i montanor(um) et i antioch(ensium) sagit]T.AR(iorum)1 [et i cretum sagittar(ia) et III campestr(is) c(ivium)] R(omanorum) et ii gallor(um) macedon(ica) et iii britton(um) vet(eranorum) et i aug(usta) lusitanor(um) et i pannonior(um) vet(eranorum) et sunt in moesia sup(eriore)] etc Tabella I intus (reverse): [... et sunt in moesia superior(e) sub] [c]VRTIO. [iusto leg(ato) xxv stip(endis) emer(itis) dimis(sis)] [h]ON(esta) M.[ission(e) quor(um) nomina subscr(ipta)] SVNT C.[ivit(atem) Roman(am) qui eor(um) non haber(ent)] [d]EDIT ET [conub(ium) cum uxorib(us)] [qu]A{s=B} {t=I}VN[c habuis(sent) cum est civit(as) is dat(a) aut cum is] Q.VA{s=C} POST(ea) [duxiss(ent) dumtax(at) singulis] etc on tabella II intus. 7.33 grams, 42 mm



Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a gentleman collector. Accompanied by a copy of an illustrated transliteration report by Dr Ittai Gradel. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Text reconstruction following Eck-Pangerl, ‘Moesia und seine Truppen. Neue Diplome für Moesia und Moesia Superior’, Chiron 38 (2008), 369-77 – all these fragments naming Curtius Iustus go back to a constitutio dated 23. April 157 (see Eck-Pangerl for discussion: they list nine copies, including a complete one; this is the second largest number known of any constitutio; yet another – the tenth - copy published by Eck-MacDonald-Pangerl in ZPE 165 (2008), 237-9).

With rolled rim to each tapering tube, applied trail detailing to the body, lateral angled handles and large applied loop handle above; iridescent surface. 59 grams, 17 cm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12237-222167. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.