Wedgwood Crimson Jasperware Portland Vase

This remarkably rare Portland Vase by Wedgwood boasts a highly coveted crimson hue. As the vivid red coloring was difficult to control and prone to bleeding, crimson dip jasperware was only produced by the manufactory for a brief period, making it highly collectible rarities on the market. To find Wedgwood's most important design, the Portland Vase, in this color is all the more extraordinary, and "full size" Portland vases like this example are seldom seen crafted in crimson. A model of classical perfection, the vase is adorned with bas-relief Greco-Roman figures on all sides. The white relief scene is a mythological representation of love and marriage, and the original Roman vase from which it takes its design may have been created as a wedding gift.

The original Portland Vase, which resides in the British Museum of Art, is the most famous cameo glass vessel from Roman antiquity. In the late 18th century, Josiah Wedgwood received the vase from the Duke of Portland and began to create his jasper versions, the form of which he considered to be his greatest achievement. Today, the Portland Vase symbol is used as the Wedgwood corporate symbol and is the symbol of the Wedgwood Society of New York.

A similar vase is pictured in Wedgwood by Robin Reilly, color plate C75.

Stamped "Wedgwood"

Circa 1920

7 1/2" wide x 7 1/2" deep x 10 3/4" high

Provenance:
Buten Museum Collection
Freeman's, Philadelphia, 21 May 2017, lot 121