Bronze saucepan with maker’s mark, Pompeii Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL AN1932.166.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum AN1932.166 AshLI 411

A small bronze saucepan, with a handle. It is decorated on its outer body with a male face, with curly hair, horns, and flowing beard, which flows into swirling vegetal patterns. The base has a circular pattern of concentric circles. It is intact, in excellent condition.

Dimensions: Handle: length, 0.128; diameter of saucepan around its rim: 0.124. Base diameter, 0.77. Height: 0.075; thickness of inner wall: 0.006.

There is a maker’s mark inside a rectangular cartouche on the handle. According to Vipard (2013: p.136), the placement of this mark along the handle is typical of Campanian products.

 Cartouche: 0.004 ; 0.02. Letters: 0.003 Pompeii AD 70-79 [This bronze-manufacturer was active from AD 70-95: Vipard 2013: p.136, whilst its Pompeian context indicates a date before 79] Although the Ashmolean records this as having a provenance from the House of Flores, at Pompeii, this appears to be a garbled reference to the Casa dei Fiori (VI.v.19). According to the Accessions Register, it was purchased on 7th June 1932, having previously been part of the collection in Paris belonging to Arthur Sambon (1867-1947). It is currently on display in the Rome Gallery. Photograph Photograph: inscription detail Photograph Photograph Photograph
Luci Ansi Diodori

Of Lucius Ansius Diodorus

The Ansii were bronze-manufacturers in Capua during the second half of the first century AD, with the (probable) freedman L. Ansius Diodorus producing objects between AD 70/75 and AD 90. Eighteen other similar manufacturing marks are known (Vipard 2013: pp.136, 138; Petrovszky 1993: p.143, A.16, + pp.196-99 with Taf. 39 and Karte 2 (distribution map), including two from Pompeii, one from the Casa dell’Ara Massima, Shop 17 (VI.16.15) (Tassinari 1993: p.179 = Pompei inv. no.3168) and the other in Naples Museum (MAAN inv. 69 885; cf. CIL X.8071,27, a stamp on the handle of a bronze patera, Willers 1907: p.87).

Unpublished. Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities MS. Accession Register 1932.166

Petrovszky R. 1993 Studien zu römischen Bronzegefäßen mit Meisterstempeln Buch am Erlbach M.L. Leidorf / Kölner Studien zur Archäologie der römischen Provinzen 1 Tassinari S. 1993 Il vasellame bronzeo di Pompei Rome Ministero per i beni culturali ed ambientali Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei Cataloghi 5/ Bretschneider Vipard P. 2013 Manche de casserole portant l’estampille du fabricant L. Ansius Diodorus de Capoue (fin du Ier s. ap. J.-C.) provenant de Grand (Vosges) Grand. Archéologie et territoire Dechezleprêtre T. Epinal Conseil départemental des Vosges 134-39 Willers H. 1907 Neue Untersuchungen über die römische Bronzeindustrie von Capua und von Niedergermanien Hannover and Leipzig Hahnsche