A Marble Cinerary Urn, Roman Imperial, circa late 1st/early 2nd Century A.D., the base and lid attributed to Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (1716-1799)

the front carved in relief with two swans perched atop leafy baluster-shaped bases and holding the ribbons of a large fruit-laden garland in their beaks, four birds picking at the fruit, the recessed panel engraved with three lines of Latin inscription: Ortes Eros Synothos donum.

Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (1716-1799), Rome
Thomas Jenkins (ca. 1722-1798), Rome, prior to 1778
probably Giovanni Ludovico Bianconi (1717-1781), Bologna
Museo Bianconi, Bologna, by 1874
Giuseppe Pacini, Florence, by 1882
private collection, Marseille, France, acquired in the 1970s

Luigi Gaetano Marini (1742-1815), Inscriptiones christianæ Latinæ et Græcæ ævi Milliarii conlegit digessit adnotationibusque auxit Caietanus Marinus a Bibliotheca Vaticana item a scriniis sedis apostolicæ. Duæ partes (Codex Vaticanus 9122), fol. 9
Gianbattista Piranesi, Vasi, candelabra, cippi, sarcophagi, tripodi, lvcerne ed ornamenti antichi, Rome, vol. 2, 1778, pl. 89
Wilhelm Henzen, Giovanni Battista de Rossi, and Christian Hülsen, Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, vol. VI, part. IV: Inscriptiones falsas urbi Romae attributas comprehendens, Berlin, 1885, p. 242, no. 3495 (= CIL VI, 3495)
Eugenius Bormann, Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, vol. XI, part I: Inscriptiones Aemiliae et Etruriae comprehendens, Berlin, 1888, p. 19, no. 107* (= CIL XI, 107*)
Thomas Ashby, "Thomas Jenkins in Rome," Papers of the British School in Rome, vol. 6, 1913, p. 493

As described. Lid and base late 18th century by Cavaceppi. Lid broken and repaired with chips along the join, including a fairly large one close to the edge. Minor chips and abrasions along the edges and extremities of both lid and base. Ancient box in very good condition including the surface, which was not over-cleaned as was usually the case at the time of restoration. Areas of incrustation. Very minor losses to relief carvings and equally minor chips and abrasions overall.
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.

For related urns dated to the late 1st/early 2nd Century A.D. see F. Sinn, Stadtrömische Marmorurnen, Mainz am Rhein, 1987, pl. 61.