MARK OF WALKER & HALL, SHEFFIELD, 1917 AND 1920

The Warwick Vase, on which this lot is based, was a colossal marble vase nearly six feet high, dating from the 2nd century A.D. It was found in fragments in 1770 in a lake at Hadrian's Villa near Rome. Sir William Hamilton, Ambassador to Naples, acquired and had it restored. Hae sold it to his kinsman, Charles Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, who set it up in the grounds of Warwick Castle. Engraved by Piranesi in 1778, it provided inspiration for versions in silver and silver-gilt during the early 19th century and later.