The monumental Warwick Vase.
The massive mid 19th century Warwick Vase is a highlight at Anthony Outred’s stand at Masterpiece, which runs until next Wednesday at the Royal Hospital at Chelsea in London. It is of ancient Roman origin and Bacchic inspiration and was discovered in fragments at Hadrian’s Villa in 1771 by Gavin Hamilton. It was restored to Piranesi’s designs by Sir William Hamilton and passed to his nephew George Greville, Second Earl of Warwick. It now resides in Glasgow as part of the Burrell Collection.
England is represented on the stand by a pair of panoramic views of Westminster that span 300 years. One shows the buildings of 1895, the other is based on engravings from the time of Henry VIII. They are based on aerial studies and engravings by English artists William Brewer and William Lionel Wyllie executed from a balloon 1,400 up. They were published in May 1884 in the weekly illustrated magazine The Graphic.
Westminster in the late 19th century
A view of Westminster c1584.