EPITAPH OF DECIMUS AEMILIUS VITALIS, ROME(?) Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL ANChandler.3.113.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum ANChandler.3.113 AshLU 112

A rectangular slab of white marble (0.18 0.408 0.036) imitating a tabula ansata (in a modern mount). The rear is smoothly finished. On either side of the top edge are two small holes, probably relating to its modern display. Its condition is very good, with just slight chipping at the bottom corners.

The inscription on the front face is enclosed within a simple moulded frame. The inscription is carefully laid out and elegantly carved. There are triangular interpuncts throughout, except at line ends.

0.022 (line 1); 0.015 with tall I 0.02 (line 2); 0.02 (line 3); 0.017 (line 4) Of unknown provenance, it probably originated from Rome. possibly first or second century AD (Solin 2003: vol. 1, p.589). It is first recorded by Chandler in Oxford according to CIL, but is in fact listed in the sale catalogue (Langford 1749) for the collection belonging to Christopher Wren, Esq., of Hampton Court (son of Sir Christopher Wren) sold at auction in London as lot 64 on 4th April 1749, after his death. Lot 64 comprised seven marble inscriptions (also C3-110; C3-117; C3-118; C3-128; C3-132; C3-134). This lot was bought by Richard Rawlinson: he is listed in the sale catalogue as one of the buyers at the auction, and also himself writes later that year of having bought Latin inscriptions from Mr Wren’s sale (Enright 1956: p.306 - Rawlinson Bod. MS. C 989 f.123, 16 Nov 1749, letter to Bodleian’s librarian). All of these Latin inscriptions are in the Ashmolean as part of the Rawlinson Collection, which was given to Oxford University in 1753, and at first kept in the University Collection in the Bodleian Library (Enright 1956: p.340). At some point it then ended up in the basement of the (Old) Ashmolean Museum on Broad Street (now the Museum of the History of Science) (Munby 2013), since it is included in the archive MS. ‘Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum’ (p.33, no.165), a list of ancient marbles transferred in Jan. 1888 from the (Old) Ashmolean Museum basement room to the marble rooms of the Randolph Building on Beaumont Street, which had been built alongside the University Galleries. The Ashmolean Museum in its current location was built behind the University Galleries, was opened in 1894, and finally the University Galleries and Ashmolean were amalgamated by statute in 1908. It is currently on display in the Reading and Writing Gallery. Photograph
Decimo Aemilio Vitali vixit annos XXV dies XLVIII Clodia Helice mater fecit

For Decimus Aemilius Vitalis. He lived for 25 years, 48 days. Clodia Helice, his mother, set this up.

Chandler (1763) Part 3, Pl.III.cxiii, with drawing; CIL VI.2 no.11116 (1882)

Online: EDCS-17200834 [accessed 10/09/15]

Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities Marbles sent from Ashmolean Museum Chandler R. 1763 Marmora Oxoniensia Oxford Clarendon Press Enright B.J. 1956 Richard Rawlinson: collector, antiquary, and topographer (Bod. MS. D.Phil. d.1786) Langford A. 1749 A catalogue of the genuine and entire collection of medals and statues of Christopher Wren Esq, late of Hampton Court, deceased; together with the collection of drawings of architecture of the late Sir Christopher Wren, his father (London 1749) http://artworld.york.ac.uk R. Stephens The art world in Britain 1660 to 1735 Munby J. 2013 A rare collection: Oxford museums past and present Excalibur: Essays on Antiquity and the History of Collecting in Honour of Arthur MacGregor H.Wiegel and M.Vickers Oxford BAR Int. ser. 2512 75-85 Solin H. 2003 Die griechischen Personennamen in Rom. Ein Namenbuch (2nd edn) 3 vols Berlin De Gruyter