THE PORTLAND VASE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 6692, 9 August 1882, Page 6

THE PORTLAND VASE.

At the British Museum we own a partiality for that little room wbioh contains the celebrated Portland vase and the gems. Perhaps it is because it isn't so easy to go there. The most prominent objeot is the vase. His proteoted by glass, and the stand on whioh it rests is revolved slowly by the attendant, so that we may examine it at leisure. This may be regarded as the chief ornament of the mussum ; it is considered undoubtedly a work of Greoian genius, and among the most exquisite productions of anoient art. Having beoome familiar with its appearance through engravings at, home, and having pioked up here and there bits of interesting history contested with it, it may well be imagined what a pleasure it was to behold it at last, so to speak, t» propria periona. Will it be amiss to put together here the faots gathered from different touroes t Small and frail as it is, it has had such a notable oareer 1 In the first place, the material from whioh it is made was originally a puxzle. The ground is of a dark, transparent blue, ornamented with figures in bas-relief of a delicate opaque white. The blue was at first, supposed to be some species of stone, to whioh the ornaments were afixed; but it is now known to be of glass, blown in two layers of colour, in imitation of onyx. The artist engraved the figures in cameo upon the white, cutting down to the blue. The subjeot is the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, and nothing more exquisite and spirited than the carving could be imagined. The most uncritical epuld not fail to be impressed with its great beauty. The vase was found in the sixteenth century, inclosed in a sarcophagus within the monument of Hmperdr Alexander Severue. Deposited in this quiet and forgotten receptable, it had survived the shocks whioh reduced the Empire to ruins. It remained for two centuries in the palace of the Barberini family, when it fell into the hands of Sir William Hamilton, who, after returning to England, allowed it to fall into the hands of the auctioneer. The Duchess of Portland was exceedingly anxious to beoome the possessor of it, but .there was one competitor who refused to be silenced. As often as her bid was increased, so was the other. The pertinacious one was found to be Wedgwood, who wished to get the vase in order to make oopiei of it in, pottery. A compromise was efl'eoted. He was promised the loan of it for a sufficient time; whereupon the duchess became the possessor of the prize for the sum of 1800 guineas. (Wedgwood obtained a subscription fist for copies at fifty guineas each. But so elaborate was the work, that he lost money by it as a commercial speculation, and, after making fifty oopies of the vase, he destroyed the mould. His copies were considered an astonishing suocess; but there is one of them in the Boston Museum, and it can bear no comparison with the original.) The vase remained in the possession of the Duoheis of Portland till 1786, when—her collection being sold—it was bought for the Duke of Marlborough. From him it passed to the museum.

We inquired of the attendant about the breaking of the vase. He was ready to enlarge upon the subjeot, and told how in the year 1845 a young Irishman bad unexpectedly caught up a briok and dashed it against the vase, shivering it into innumerable fragments. The man was tried for the offence, but owing to a defect in the laws he could not be severely punished, in consequence of which they have been altered. The " maniao " who tried it again would fare badly. Hear the vase hangs an engraving showing the fragments to which it was reduced. There were one hundred and forty odd, some of them not larger than a pea, while, a little dish contains the merest atoms. How it was ever put together again remains a mystery, but it has been so skilfully rejoined that, although the lines of breakage, show, all over the surface, the general effect is notinspaired.— Botipn Tranir cripi.\ ■ ■ ■'.'■ ' "'".■ ' '.