• Height:
  10 3/8 Inches
• Period:
  19th Century
• Origin:
  England/Ireland

This rare and exceptional Wedgwood Portland Vase exhibits the form that Josiah Wedgwood considered to be his greatest achievement. Crafted of dark blue jasper dip, it is based upon the Portland, or Barberini Vase, perhaps the most famous and finest example of Greek cameo glass in the world, and represents years of experimentation by Wedgwood to achieve the perfect reproduction. Today, the Portland Vase is used in the Wedgwood corporate seal and is the symbol of the Wedgwood Society of New York. 

This iconic form is the subject of the book The Portland Vase and The Wedgwood Copies by Wolf Mankowitz, and an almost identical vase is pictured in Wedgwood Jasper by Robin Reilly. 

Marked "WEDGWOOD"

10 3/8" high

Circa 1875

The original Portland vase was discovered near Rome around 1625 A.D. Placed in the library of the Barberini family, it was acquired by the Duchess of Portland in 1786. Her son later bought it from her collection and lent it to Josiah Wedgwood, who produced the first replica of the vase in 1789. In order to emulate the vitrified surface of the original, Wedgwood was challenged with bringing jasper porcelain to the pinnacle of perfection. For this reason, the Wedgwood Portland vase is regarded as the pinnacle of Wedgwood's achievements. The vase has gained continuing fame among connoisseurs over the past 200 years, and symbolically it is at the very heart of the company's identity. The original vase is now located in the British Museum, as are Wedgwood's first replicas. The vase served as major artistic inspiration not only to porcelain artists like Wedgwood, but to glassmakers, as well. 

Reference:
Wedgwood Jasper, 1972, Robin Reilly