Vase

Currently not on view

Vase

c. 1875

Made by the Wedgwood factory, Etruria, England (1759–present)

Versions of this vase, known as the Portland Vase, were first produced by Wedgwood in 1790 after years of experimentation. The Roman first-century BCE cobalt-blue cameo glass original on which the Wedgwood vase was based was perhaps the most famous of all objects to have passed through Sir William Hamilton's hands. Hamilton sold the Roman vase to the Duchess of Portland, from whom it takes its name, in early 1784. After her death, her son lent the vase to Wedgwood for the purpose of making copies. The copies, first made in black and later in light blue, spread the fame of the original even further and were popular in their own right. Tickets were issued to the exhibition of the first Wedgwood copy when it was shown in a London showroom in May 1790. In 1810, the original Roman vase was deposited in the British Museum, where it remains.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Vase

Date:

c. 1875

Artist:

Made by the Wedgwood factory, Etruria, England (1759–present)

Medium:

Stoneware with applied relief decoration (jasper ware)

Dimensions:

Height: 10 inches (25.4 cm) Diameter: 7 1/2 inches (19 cm)

Classification:

Containers

Credit Line:

Gift of Mrs. Offley Shore, 1946

Accession Number:

1946-68-6

Geography:

Made in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, Europe

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Currently not on view