MARK OF WALKER & HALL, CHESTER, DATE LETTER RUBBED

The Warwick vase, an ancient Roman urn, was discoverd at the bottom of Lake Tivoli, near Hadrian's villa in 1770. It features classical masks and associated emblems such as a pine-cone tip staff known as a thysrus, together with classical leaves and intertwined naturalistic handles. It was owned for a time by Sir William Hamilton, the special consul to Naples, who was known for his collection of antiquities. Sir William presented it to his nephew, the Earl of Warwick. It remained at Warwick Castle until the 1970s, when it was sold to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, where it remains.