[Illustration: A large, wide vase with two handles and a number of
sculpted heads.]
In an account which we recently gave of Warwick Castle, we mentioned the
beautiful and celebrated specimen of Grecian art, which now embellishes
the grounds of one of the finest monuments of the feudal grandeur of
England. There is something extremely captivating to the imagination to
witness one of the most exquisite pieces of ancient workmanship, said to
be the production of Lysippus, a statuary of the age of Alexander the
Great, thus preserved from the ravages of time, amidst the scenes which
tell their story of a past age, not so far removed from the present day,
but equally recalling lives and actors essentially different from our
present habits and modes of thinking. ‘The Warwick Vase’ was dug up from
the ruins of the Emperor Adrian’s villa at Tivoli, and was sent to
England by the late Sir William Hamilton, in 1774. It is probably one of
the most entire, and, to a certain extent, the most beautiful specimen
of ancient sculpture which this country possesses. The material of which
it is made is white marble. Its form is nearly spherical, with a deep
reverted rim. Two interlacing vines, whose stems run into and constitute
the handles, wreathe their tendrils, with fruit and foliage, round the
upper part. The centre is composed of antique heads, which stand forward
in grand relief. A panther’s skin, with the thyrsus of Bacchus (a
favourite antique ornament) and other embellishments, complete the
composition. This vase is of very large size, as it is capable of
containing a hundred and sixty-three gallons. We have seen a copy of
this vase, of the original dimensions, at Birmingham, executed in
bronze; which work is one of the many proofs which exist in this country
of the intimate union between the manufacturing arts and those which are
connected with the highest display of taste. The importance of this
union ought never to be lost sight of.
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