A pair of Grand Tour Warwick patinated bronze vases. 19th Century.

A pair of Grand Tour Warwick patinated bronze vases. 19th Century.
Measurements: 13 x 21 x 15 cm.
The vases have a bearded top rim, surrounded by the outward curved egg and dart edge, body with eight Bacchic masque, rope-twist handles.
The Warwick Vase is an ancient Roman marble vase which was discovered by the Scottish antiquarian Gavin Hamilton in 1771 at Hadrians Villa in Rome. The vase was one of many fine sculptures with which the Emperor Hadrian adorned the gardens of his palatial villa. The vase found in fragments was reconstructed by Piranesi for Sir William Hamilton, British envoy to the Court of Naples. From Hamilton’s collection it passed to his nephew George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, from where it’s title derives.
The term "Grand Tour", which first appeared in Richard Lassels' "Le Voyage d'Italie", was used to define the long journey through Europe, especially Italy, which was usually undertaken by young British aristocrats from the 17th century onwards, but especially throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the journey was for young people to become acquainted with the art and culture of mainly France and Italy, to admire classical art at first hand, to learn or improve their knowledge of languages, and to establish contacts and relationships with the cultural and political elites of these countries. Travellers were often looking for pieces with which to start their own art collections, objects to take back to their places of residence as souvenirs. For this reason, workshops specialising in the replication of Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, sprang up, some of which acquired a great reputation.

COMMENTS

Minor traces of wear.