About this piece
back to topA very finely cast pair of cast iron models of the renowned Warwick Vase circa 1870. While the original Warwick Vase is a colossal 6ft high, these replicas are scale at just 40cm tall, bringing prestige to an interior placed on a console, column or sideboard. Unusually, each vase has an original, removable enamelled cast iron liner.
True to the antique original, these cast iron vases features an egg and dart moulded rim above male and female masks among torches, vine leaves, berries and scrolls in high relief between distinct entwined handles. Each stand on a socle above a plain pedestal base.
The Warwick Vase
The original Warwick Vase, often closely associated with the Albani Vase, on which these smaller cast iron versions are based is thought to originate from as early as the 2nd century. However, its known history dates back the 1770s.
Scottish painter Gavin Hamilton unearthed what is now the Warwick Vase while carrying out a series of excavations at the site of Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, 15 miles east of Rome. Then only pieces, these were given to Sir William Hamilton and by 1775, the Warwick Vase was restored, set into Carrara marble and given a new carved socle. The vase was sent to England and passed on to Sir William’s nephew, the 2nd Earl of Warwick, standing proudly in the courtyard of Warwick Castle before being transferred into a specially built greenhouse where it remained until 1977.
Today, the original Warwick Vase resides in Glasgow, forming part of the Burrell Collection.
Additional Information
Each measures H40 x W36 x D26.5 cm
Bases: 17.5 x 17.5 cm
Blue plinths not included.
