Warwick Vase - Marble Grand Tour Collectable

One of the Most Famous Vases in the World

The Warwick Vase is one of the most celebrated and recognisable works of classical antiquity—a wide-brimmed ancient Roman marble vase with a dramatic and romantic discovery story that made it the sensation of 18th-century Europe. This Grand Tour collectable faithfully reproduces its magnificent form, with detailed intertwined handles to the sides, sculpted heads of Roman gods, and intricate vine and grape decoration around the rim.

Discovered at Hadrian's Villa

The original Warwick Vase is an ancient Roman marble work (partially restored) discovered at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli around 1771 by Gavin Hamilton—a Scottish painter-antiquarian and art dealer working in Rome. Hamilton had obtained excavation rights to the villa's extensive grounds and proceeded to drain a marshy pond at its lowest point. It was in the silt of this pond that the fragments of the extraordinary vase were found, having lain hidden for over a millennium.

From Hamilton to Warwick Castle

Hamilton sold the fragments to Sir William Hamilton, the distinguished British envoy at the court of Naples and one of the era's most celebrated collectors. From Sir William's well-known collection, the vase passed to his nephew George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, who had it restored and installed in the grounds of Warwick Castle—where it caused an immediate sensation among the aristocracy and connoisseurs of the day. The vase became one of the most admired and reproduced works of the Grand Tour era, inspiring countless copies for the finest English country houses.

Magnificent Classical Detail

This reproduction captures every element of the original's extraordinary ornamentation—the wide dramatic brim, the detailed intertwined handles, the sculpted heads of Roman gods, and the richly carved vine and grape decoration around the rim. Each detail is rendered with the fine crisp precision that defines Sculptured Arts Studio's craftsmanship.

Handmade in England

Crafted by Sculptured Arts Studio in Staffordshire, England.

Specifications:

• Height: 16 cm
• Width: 27 cm
• Material: Marble
• Handmade in England by Sculptured Arts Studio
• After the ancient Roman original, discovered c.1771
• Original discovered at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli
• Formerly in the collection of the Earls of Warwick, Warwick Castle

A distinguished Grand Tour collectable that celebrates one of antiquity's most romantic discovery stories and the enduring appeal of classical Roman decorative art.