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Source Description
The original Portland Vase is a Roman antiquity, made of dark-blue glass, dating from the first century AD. Such a rare archaeological find fascinated aristocratic collectors and artists alike, and eventually the vase came into the hands of the 3rd Duke of Portland in the 1780s. Around 1790 the duke lent the vase to the potter Josiah Wedgwood to make exact replicas in ceramic, of which the Cleveland example is one of the first editions. Eventually, the 4th Duke of Portland deposited the original Roman vase in the British Museum, where it resides today.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
99259
label
Portland Vase
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
99259
contentType
object
title
Portland Vase
description
The original Portland Vase is a Roman antiquity, made of dark-blue glass, dating from the first century AD. Such a rare archaeological find fascinated aristocratic collectors and artists alike, and eventually the vase came into the hands of the 3rd Duke of Portland in the 1780s. Around 1790 the duke lent the vase to the potter Josiah Wedgwood to make exact replicas in ceramic, of which the Cleveland example is one of the first editions. Eventually, the 4th Duke of Portland deposited the original Roman vase in the British Museum, where it resides today.
date
c.1790
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60753235
creators
18291
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 26.4 x 17.8 cm (10 3/8 x 7 in.)
cul
England, Staffordshire
accession
1918.823
Source extras
tec
jasperware with applied decoration
tombstone
Portland Vase, c.1790. Josiah Wedgwood and Sons (Britain, Staffordshire, est. 1759). Jasperware with applied decoration; overall: 26.4 x 17.8 cm (10 3/8 x 7 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. L. E. Holden, 1918.823
collection
Decorative Arts
didYouKnow
While the scene depicted here is not known for certain, many scholars believe that the Portland Vase portrays the wedding of Peleus and Thetis from Greek mythology.
citations
citation
Irwin, David G. <em>Neoclassicism</em>. London: Phaidon, 1997.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 173, fig. 101
citation
Arendsee, M. and M. Steinman-Arendsee. "Take the CAN disability aesthetics tour, at the Cleveland Museum of art." <em>CAN Journal</em> (Winter 2019/20): 76-87.
page_number
Reproduced & mentioned: p. 79
creditline
Gift of Mrs. L. E. Holden
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:21:50.183000
sourceId
99259
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
jasperware with applied decoration
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4e6760393fb20337