The archaeologist Feoli found this musical instrument during the excavations of 1829-1831 at Campo di Morto, near Vulci. The Vatican acquired it through the generosity of Pope Gregory XIII. This artifact is in copper alloy with a length of 140 cm. It is a wind instrument because of the cavities, ex. tubes that vibrate air. The section of the cavity and the presence of holes along the instrument body determine the musical tonality. This artifact does not have holes and cannot insufflate the air. The absence makes it impossible to authenticate the original fixtures. This musical instrument has a prevalent symbolic value, which has a relation to civil authority. The instrument is a mechanical production, made from folding a metal sheet (thickness of mm: 1.3 - 0.6) and metal rivets of various thicknesses. A metal "clamp" bound with circular-head rivets connects to the two elements of the instrument. To date, only one more litho specimen from Tarquinia is a recovered product from an excavation. However, its state of preservation disfigured the readability of the artifact. For this reason, given the uniqueness of the find in the Vatican Museums, the artifact was initially part of a project of experimental archaeology. It aimed to understand its bronze replica.

At the moment of the latest intervention, the artifact showed evident traces of a previous conservative intervention aimed at restoring the structural and superficial integrity of the artifact. In the past, a previous intervention required the insertion of a copper tube into the lithium. This action made the fragments solid, and a high degree of mineralization affected them (see the fracture surfaces in correspondence of the gaps). The single parts do not have the correct arrangements from the previous phase of the fragment re-composition. For example, the wide circular holes are on the instrument's profile. This aspect is particularly evident after the removal of the previous fillings. In the past, the gaps had a coarse mixture of plaster and animal glue, which stained the surface and overflowed on the original metals. The intentional "scialbatura" visible on some portions of the artifact is from the same intervention. Possibly, the aged organic binder led to the stiffening of the stucco, the formation of fractures, and the lifting of the integration flaps. As far as the examination of the volumes, there is also the presence of evident plastic deformation of the body and the left profile of the instrument, also characterized by forms of globular corrosion, exclusively circumscribed to this area. The rest of the surface shows a generalized uniform patina, dark green in color, porous, extremely thin, and attached to a shiny reddish-brown surface. Some cracks run parallel to the metal sheet.

Restorers removed the earth concretions from the metal surface with a mechanical cleaning operation (using a dental micro drill and burs of different hardness and grain size). Additionally, they eliminated the historical integrations with warm water. They also used absorbent cotton to restore with a mixture of Jesmonite® (two-component acrylic resin). After, restorers used an intervention layer with Japanese paper and Mowital B60H (30% with polyvinylbutarrilic resin in pure ethyl alcohol). On this occasion, experiments with a laser-prototyped integration (made of epoxy resin and hollow phenolic microspheres) corresponded to the largest gap. Restorers chromatically tuned the surface of the gaps with stable and chemically inert colors (MIMERI® acrylics) and applied them in a dotted pattern. Restorer Carlo Serino created support from a 3D laser scanning and made a prototype in PLA resin to ensure an adequate display in the showcase. The fixed pins are on the lower plane of the box and two orthogonal screws pass through a hollow cylinder. A hollow screw anchors the plane to the cylinder.  The base and the rods received black paint to refine the aesthetic appearance of the support. To further guarantee the stability of the lithium, the truncated cone end is kept perpendicular to the base through a rod and a similar screwing system.