A Victorian Royal Warwick presentation vase and horseracing trophy, known colloquially as ‘Her Majesty’s vase,’ has been rediscovered, having vanished from sight for years. It was last seen when it was presented in 1845 at the Plymouth, Devon, and Cornwall races, as a gift from Her Majesty the Queen, presented to the owner of the winning horse. It then descended through the family of the owner of the winning horse, Sir John Barker-Mill, 1st Baronet (1803-1860), and its significance had been unknown by subsequent generations, as the vase and stand had become separated from each other.
The vase was rediscovered in the family home, but the stand was only recently discovered in an outbuilding, which is when the family reunited them and realized exactly what it was. Further research confirmed it and Chiswick Auctions is delighted to offer it in a sale of Silver and Objects of Vertu sale on March 3, 2022.
The vase was commissioned by Queen Victoria and produced especially for the Plymouth, Devon, and Cornwall races in 1845 by the silversmith John Samuel Hunt (1785-1865) who traded with another great silversmith, Paul Storr (1770-1844). Known as the Warwick vase, it was created to the design of an ancient vase dating from the 2nd century A.D. This colossal vase measuring nearly six feet high was found in fragments in 1770 at the bottom of a lake at Hadrian’s Villa, near Rome, by a group of Englishmen and was acquired by Sir William Hamilton, at the time Ambassador to Naples.
Hamilton sold it in restored condition to Charles (Greville), 2nd Earl of Warwick, who set it up on the grounds of Warwick Castle. The vase had been engraved by Piranesi in 1778 and provided the inspiration for many versions of the vase in silver and silver-gilt during the Regency period. Rundell, Bridge, and Rundell, the Royal goldsmiths, appear to have supplied most of the Warwick Vases, the most notable being a set of twelve commissioned by the Prince Regent and struck with the mark for Paul Storr, now at Windsor Castle. The Duke of York, second son of George III, owned a set of four which were included in the sale of his silver at Christie’s in 1827.
