SERAFINI, CAMILLO. — Numismatist, born on 21 April 1864 in Rome to a distinguished and wealthy Roman family, died in the Vatican on 21 March 1952. After completing his literary and archaeological studies, he devoted himself to numismatic research, which became the passion of his entire life.
As early as 1889, as Honorary Curator, he began the study and organization of the Capitoline numismatic collections, whose restoration he oversaw after the events of 1943. In 1895, he was called by Leo XIII to the Vatican Numismatic Cabinet; and first as an assistant to Carlo Ludovico Visconti, then with Enrico Stevenson, he began the work of identification, expansion, and organization of those collections that lasted until the end of his life. He finally took definitive charge and full responsibility of the Medagliere in November 1898 and succeeded in elevating the Medagliere to the first rank among similar collections not only in Italy but in Europe. Within just 20 years of his leadership, the collections had doubled from fewer than 46,000 pieces; and the collection of papal coins had grown especially, reaching 18,943 specimens, of which 1,553 in gold, more than 10,000 in silver, and the rest in bronze; this was achieved through the judicious acquisition of numerous private collections, including the two most important, those of Randi and Celati. Serafini felt the duty to compile
(Fa H. Omont, Miniatures des plus anciens mes. grecs de la Bibl. nat. du VIe au XIXe siècle, Paris 1888, sec. 22) SERAFINO — S. in the vision of Isaiah (Is. 6, 2-7), miniature from the end of the 12th century. Detail from f. 677 of ms. grec 310, Bibliothèque nationale de Paris.
SERAFINI, CAMILLO — Portrait.
In administrative law, the term "sequestro" (seizure) has very broad applications, for example: the seizure of sums owed to the State (arts. 69, 70 R.D. 18 Nov. 1923, n. 2440 and subsequent modifications on the administration of State property and general accounting); seizure in executions for State patrimonial credits (arts. 16-20 T.U. 14 Apr. 1910, n. 639 on the collection of patrimonial revenues); recourse to the Council of State in judicial jurisdiction against seizures of temporalities (art. 27 T.U. 26 June 1924, n. 1054 and subsequent modifications on the Council of State); administrative seizure of objects used in violations of demesne police regulations (art. 376 of the law of 20 March 1865, n. 2248, Annex F on public works); conservatory seizure to guarantee obligations arising from the liability of administrators of public entities (art. 264 T.U. 3 March 1934, n. 383 and subsequent modifications of the Law on Municipalities and Provinces; art. 29 of the law of 17 July 1890, n. 6972 and subsequent modifications on public assistance and welfare institutions); the T.U. of 5 June 1941, n. 874 on laws concerning the seizure, garnishment, and assignment of salaries, wages, and pensions of public employees, modified by Royal Legislative Decree no. 103 of 6 Feb. 1946.