Roman Military Trumpet Fittings. 2nd-3rd century AD. A group of fittings from a cornu, a military musical instrument, comprising: a substantial bronze conical socket with long iron finial, lateral bows for fastening, one in the form of a female panther and the other in the shape of a blossom; a bronze finial with three lugs which would have been placed at the lower end.See Franken, N., Die antiken Bronzen im römisch-germanischen Museum Köln, Kölner Jahrbuch 29, 1996, 132f; see Beutler, F., Farka, C., Gugl, C., Humer, F., Kremer, G., ed., Der Adler Roms, Carnuntum und die Armee der Caesaren, Bad Voslau, 2017, pp.320-323, for similar pieces; similar cornu fittings with dolphins in place of the panther, in the Museum of Eskisehir (Doryleum) in Turkey; for the use of the cornu within Roman army see D’Amato, R., Roman Standards and Standard bearers, Volume I, 112 BC-AD 192, London, 2018.880 grams total, 7.2-25cm (3 - 10"). Property of an Austrian private collector; formerly with Hermann Historica, Munich, Auction 64, lot 3168, listed as a standard finial; previously owned by Harry Huttel, 1994; before that in a private collection, Vienna, 1980s; accompanied by with copies of the relevant Hermann Historica catalogue pages, and by a report by Roman military specialist Dr. Raffaele D’Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10572-172368.Although previously classified as a standard finial, these magnificent fragments belong to a military trumpet, the cornu, forming the upper and lower extremities of the arm used for holding the instrument. The cornu usually consisted of a number of elements: a bell, seven tubular parts, two connecting pieces for the carrying bar (the ornamented extremities preserved here) and even the lateral spreader for stiffening or adjusting the lower segments. Besides the finds from the gladiator barracks in Pompeii, only one other complete preserved example is known, held in a private collection. The individual elements were made of different metal alloys (brass, gunmetal and tin-bronze), which meant that the instrument would have had a multicoloured appearance. [2] For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price