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The Warwick Vase is an ancient Roman marble vase with Bacchic ornament that was discovered at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli about 1771 by Gavin Hamilton,〔For Gavin Hamilton's role in the art market for antiquities, see David Irwin, "Gavin Hamilton: archaeologist, painter and dealer", ''Art Bulletin'' 44 (1962:87–102.〕 a Scottish painter-antiquarian and art dealer in Rome, and is now in the Burrell Collection near Glasgow in Scotland. The vase was found in the silt of a marshy pond at the low point of the villa's extensive grounds, where Hamilton had obtained excavation rights and proceeded to drain the area. Hamilton sold the fragments to Sir William Hamilton, British envoy at the court of Naples from whose well-known collection it passed to his nephew George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, where it caused a sensation.〔Of Sir William's antiquities, only the Portland Vase rivalled it in public eclat.〕 ==Restoration of the vase== The design and much of the ornament is Roman, of the second century CE, but the extent to which the fragments were restored and completed after its discovery, to render it a fit object for a connoisseur's purchase, may be judged from Sir William Hamilton's own remark "I was obliged to cut a block of marble at Carrara to repair it, which has been hollowed out & the fragments fixed on it, by which means the vase is as firm & entire as the day it was made."〔A. Morrison, ''The Hamilton and Nelson Papers'', (1893–94) no. 53, noted by Nancy H. Ramage, "Sir William Hamilton as Collector, Exporter, and Dealer: The Acquisition and Dispersal of His Collections", ''American Journal of Archaeology'' 94.3 (July 1990:469–480).〕 Needless to say, Sir William did not visit Carrara to hew the block himself. The connoisseur-dealer James Byres's role in shaping the present allure of the Warwick Vase is not generally noted:〔It was not missed, however, by Nancy H. Ramage, from whose 1990 article the quote has been lifted.〕 "The great Vase is nearly finished and I think comes well. I beg'd of Mr. Hamilton to go with me the other day to give his opinion. He approved much of the restoration but thought the female mask copied from that in Piranesi's candelabro〔This may have been one illustrated later in Piranesi's, ''Vasi, candelabri, cippi...'' (Rome 1778).〕 ought to be a little retouch'd to give more squareness and character, he's of opinion that the foot ought neither to be fluted nor ornamented but left as it is being antique, and that no ornament ought to be introduced on the body of the vase behind the handles, saying that it would take away from the effect & grouping of the masks. Piranesi is of the same opinion relative to the foot, but thinks there is too great an emptyness behind the handles.... It's difficult to say which of these opinions ought to be followed, but I rather lean toward Mr. Hamiltons."〔Letter from Rome, 9 August 1774. Perceval Bequest, Fitzwilliam Museum.〕 Thus it appears James Byres rather than Giovanni Battista Piranesi was put in charge of the vase's restoration and completion. Piranesi made two etchings of the vase as completed, dedicated to Sir William, which were included in his 1778 publication, ''Vasi, candelabri, cippi...''"〔Ramage 1990:475 fig.6.〕 which secured its reputation and should have added to its market desirability. Sir William apparently hoped to sell it to the British Museum, which had purchased his collection of "Etruscan" vases:〔Such vases, commonly found in Etruscan grave sites, are now known to have been Greek.〕 "Keep it I cannot, as I shall never have a house big enough for it", he wrote.〔''Burlington Magazine'' 1979:141.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Warwick Vase」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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