
Ellis Finch
Head of Knightsbridge Silver Department
£6,000 - £8,000
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The Portland vase is a Roman cameo glass vase held at the British Museum. The first recorded mention of the vase is a letter of 1601 to Peter Paul Reubens. It passed through the collections of the Barberini family and Pope Urban VIII before ending up in the possession of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland.
The Duke went on to lend the vase to Josiah Wedgwood who produced a number of copies in jasperware. The history behind the first silver example is more elusive: Hunt & Roskell featured one on their stand in the 1851 Great Exhibition, but earlier examples have been noted from at least 1820.