Portland Vase print. Painted side, with Cupid.

Print of the fabulous classical painting on the Portland Vase, a Roman cameo glass vase, dated to between 30BC and 25AD. The vase was discovered near Rome c1582, in the sepulchre of the Emperor Alexander Severus. In 1778 Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador in Naples, purchase it from a Scottish art dealer, and Hamilton in turn arranged a private sale to dowager Duchess of Portland, the widow of William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland. Lent by her son to Josiah Wedgwood and then to the British Museum, it has been held by the British Museum since 1810.

This hand-coloured print was taken from a copperplate engraving by Giovanni Battista Cipriani (1727-1785). While the figures give an indication of the wonderful artistry of the blown glass of the vase, the finish and colour do not do justice to the brilliance of the original creation.

Size: 26 x 41cm (10 x 16 inches).