Style Other / Ref.12725

Pair of lead vases after the Warwick Vase

A pair of flared lead vases, modeled after the Warwick Vase on a reduced scale.

The wide, shallow bowl rests on a gadrooned pedestal—featuring spiraling fluting—set upon a square plinth. The rim is encircled by a molding decorated with a row of elongated beads, beneath which runs a band of low-relief vine leaves and grape clusters. The body is draped with two feline pelts; arranged like fabric, the skins allow the paws and claws to hang down toward the lower section, forming a continuous background for the composition. Standing out against these pelts are bearded theatrical masks—crowned with ivy and vine shoots—alternating with crossed thyrsi and pastoral staffs. The lower part of the body is defined by a row of radiating gadroons that smooth the transition of the curve toward the foot.

The handles, which spring from the rim molding and descend to the level of the body, are formed of knotted vine stems; their rough segments and protruding knots intertwine to create loops. This treatment of the handles—where vines replace the traditional volutes—combined with the Bacchic masks, constitutes the model's instantly recognizable signature.

The prototype is a 2nd-century Roman marble vase, discovered in fragments during excavations led by the Scottish painter and antiquarian Gavin Hamilton near Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli between 1769 and 1771. Restored in Rome under the guidance of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, it was acquired by Sir William Hamilton, the British ambassador to Naples; unable to persuade the British Museum to purchase it, he sold it to his nephew, George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick. The vase is recorded in the courtyard of Warwick Castle as early as 1778, before being housed in a specially built greenhouse in 1784. It is now held in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.

The dissemination of the design began when the sculptor William Theed was commissioned to make casts of it; these served as the basis for two bronze versions cast in Paris—one now at Windsor and the other at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The motif was subsequently adopted by English Regency silversmiths—notably Paul Storr—and later appeared in a wide range of 19th-century garden ornaments made from materials such as marble, cast iron, bronze, terracotta, and lead, and in varying sizes. The version in lead—a material traditionally used for garden statuary since the 17th century due to its frost resistance and grey patina—exemplifies this later spread of Grand Tour motifs into outdoor décor. The base of each bowl features a central drainage hole, indicating its use as a planter.