An ancient Roman carved white marble cinerary urn, circa 2nd century AD, the rectangular body carved in relief with a ewer to one side, the front with five lines of text 'DIS MANIBVS. Q AMVLEI, IANVARI POSVERVNT LIBERTI EIVS', height 43cm, width 35cm, depth 31cm (cracks and loss).

Provenance: Lords Kinnaird, Rossie Priory, Perthshire, Scotland; Edward Irvine Halliday CBE and thence by descent.

Note: this urn can be placed within the collection of Lords Kinnaird at Rossie Priory by documentation of the Latin inscription from the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL). Please see our website for an image of the page. Presumably acquired in the late 1940s by Edward Halliday, soon after the Sotheby's sale in 1948 which included items from Rossie Priory. Accompanying this lot, there are also numerous black and white photographs, thought to be taken in the 1950s, showing Edward Halliday and his family with the urn in his garden in St John's Wood, London.

With thanks to Reverend Professor Martin Henig for his assistance in establishing the provenance of this lot.