A SLAVE’S EPITAPH? ROME Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL ANChandler.3.124.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum ANChandler.3.124 AshLI 123

The drawing in Chandler (1763) shows the inscription on the front of a rectangular plaque, with a simple decorative border, beneath a triangular pediment.

The inscription is on the front surface.

 Of unknown provenance, it probably originated from Rome. possibly first century AD (from possible columbarium context). It was published as part of the collection of antiquities belonging to Christopher Wren (1708) (son of Sir Christopher Wren). It is subsequently listed in the sale catalogue (Langford 1749) for the collection belonging to Christopher Wren, Esq., of Hampton Court sold at auction in London as lot 50 on 5th April 1749, after his death. Lot 50 comprised seven marble inscriptions in frames (but only six listed in the catalogue: also C3-107; C3-114; C3-115; C3-119; C3-125). 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). The inscription has been missing since at least the nineteenth century, given that Hübner was unable to locate it for CIL.
Probus

Probus

The single name Probus suggests that the deceased was a slave (compare Solin, 1996: vol. 1, p.63).

Wren (1708) Tab. 6 no. 7; Chandler (1763) Part 3, Pl.IV.cxxiv, with drawing; CIL VI.4 fasc.1 no. 25064 (1894)

Online: EDCS-13801315 [accessed 17/11/15]

Chandler R. 1763 Marmora Oxoniensia Clarendon Press Oxford 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 Solin H. 1996 Die stadtrömischen Sklavennamen Stuttgart Steiner WrenC. 1708 Numismatum Antiquorum Sylloge Populis Graecis, Municipiis & Coloniis Romanis Cusorum, ex Cimeliarchio Editoris David Mortier London