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拍品专文
MATTHEW BOULTON'S 'BACCHANALIAN' VASE
Nicholas Goodison described this model as ‘one of the most satisfying of all Boulton’s vase designs. It is one of the few designs based on the classical urn, and it is the only vase that incorporates a complete pictorial frieze of classical figures.’ Its prototype is traditionally linked to the celebrated 'Gaeta' antique vase attributed to the Athenian sculptor Salpion, which served as the baptismal font in the Cathedral at Gaeta before its removal to Naples in 1805. The vase was also recorded in a 1795 sketch for a garniture de cheminée by Charles Heathcote Tatham. Boulton articulated his approach in a 1772 letter to his patroness Mrs. Montagu: ‘I am satisfied in… humble copying their [the ancient Greek] style and making new combinations of old ornaments without presuming to invent new ones.’ His interpretation of the so-called ‘Bacchanalian’ vase reflects this philosophy. While drawing from the Gaeta prototype, he altered the silhouette, added a potpourri lid with pierced decoration, and reimagined the frieze by introducing a thyrsus, more statuesque figures, and two vine stems.
In reality, it is unlikely that Boulton ever saw Salpion’s vase firsthand. Goodison proposed instead that the design was inspired by a bronze reduction produced in Rome by Giacomo (d. 1785) and Giovanni (d. 1805) Zoffoli, described as a ‘vaso di Gaeta’ in Giovanni Zoffoli’s 1795 sale catalogue, although notable differences appear between the respective friezes. A more compelling clue emerges from a recently rediscovered engraving by Henry Moses (1781-1870), published in A Collection of Antique Vases, Altars, Paterae, Tripods, Candelabra, Sarcophagi… in 1814 (pl. 49). The engraving matches Boulton’s frieze precisely, yet Boulton’s vase predates the publication. Moses’s caption, ‘From casts of vases in my collection,’ suggests that an exact classical model once existed and may yet be identified. This discovery opens the possibility of a direct ancient source for Boulton’s design.
Of the recorded 'Bacchanalian' vases, Boulton supplied one to Hugh Smythson, 1st Duke of Northumberland (d. 1786) circa 1770-5, which remains at Syon House, Middlessex. Two more, reserved at '£14, 6s. 0d', were offered in the Christie and Ansell Sale of May 1778, the first being described as: 'an elegant vase in statuary marble and ormoulu after the antique, on which is a bas relief representing Mercury delivering the infant Bacchus in the care of Ino. This piece turns around on a swivel for the conveniency of viewing the bas-relief and is perforated and lined for essences.' Of these, one may be that recorded in the 1782 inventory following John Fothergill's death, while the other may be the 'ormolu Bacchanalian vase' sold to Lord Stormont in 1783 for '£16, 16. 0d'. This model is evidently among the rarest of all surviving pieces by Matthew Boulton. A pair of this model was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 3 July 1980, lot 10, and a single example sold from the collection of Edward Sarofim; Christie's, London, 16 November 1995, lot 120.
THE DUKES OF WÜRTTEMBERG
This vase originates from the former palace of the Dukes of Württemberg in Carlsruhe, Upper Silesia (present-day Pokój, Poland). It has yet to be discovered how this vase came to their collections, but Matthew Boulton regularly exported orders from Soho to the continent of Europe, including a very large order for Empress Catherine of Russia delivered in 1776.
Founded in 1749 as a hunting lodge and summer residence by Duke Carl Christian Erdmann von Württemberg-Oels (1716-1792), the Carlsruhe palace burned down in 1751, was rebuilt, and was again destroyed by fire in 1798 before being reconstructed a second time. From 1763 onward, the planned residential city of Carlsruhe developed around it, featuring a park laid out first in the French Baroque style and later updated with English-style gardens. By the mid-19th century, the town had evolved into a spa destination with hydrotherapy facilities, guesthouses, and restaurants.
Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (1865-1939), heir to the Kingdom of Württemberg, married Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria (1870-1902) in 1893. They lived primarily at his palace in Stuttgart until 1918, when his cousin King Wilhelm II (1848-1921) abdicated following the November Revolution and the abolition of the monarchy. The former king granted Albrecht and his family Altshausen Castle as their main residence, and upon Wilhelm’s death in 1921, Albrecht also inherited the Carlsruhe palace. In 1924, Albrecht and Margarete’s second son, also named Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg, married Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria (1899-1958), daughter of the former Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry. Their eldest son, Ferdinand Eugen, was born in 1925.
The palace at Carlsruhe was destroyed in 1945 during the advance of the Red Army, but its movable contents had been transferred to safety beforehand. The collection remained with the Württemberg family and was eventually inherited by Ferdinand Eugen (1925-2020), Duke of Württemberg. Following his death in 2020, this vase appeared at auction (Neumeister, Munich, 30 March 2022, lot 1262) alongside other items from his estate—objects originally saved from Schloss Carlsruhe and kept stored in crates since their removal.
Nicholas Goodison described this model as ‘one of the most satisfying of all Boulton’s vase designs. It is one of the few designs based on the classical urn, and it is the only vase that incorporates a complete pictorial frieze of classical figures.’ Its prototype is traditionally linked to the celebrated 'Gaeta' antique vase attributed to the Athenian sculptor Salpion, which served as the baptismal font in the Cathedral at Gaeta before its removal to Naples in 1805. The vase was also recorded in a 1795 sketch for a garniture de cheminée by Charles Heathcote Tatham. Boulton articulated his approach in a 1772 letter to his patroness Mrs. Montagu: ‘I am satisfied in… humble copying their [the ancient Greek] style and making new combinations of old ornaments without presuming to invent new ones.’ His interpretation of the so-called ‘Bacchanalian’ vase reflects this philosophy. While drawing from the Gaeta prototype, he altered the silhouette, added a potpourri lid with pierced decoration, and reimagined the frieze by introducing a thyrsus, more statuesque figures, and two vine stems.
In reality, it is unlikely that Boulton ever saw Salpion’s vase firsthand. Goodison proposed instead that the design was inspired by a bronze reduction produced in Rome by Giacomo (d. 1785) and Giovanni (d. 1805) Zoffoli, described as a ‘vaso di Gaeta’ in Giovanni Zoffoli’s 1795 sale catalogue, although notable differences appear between the respective friezes. A more compelling clue emerges from a recently rediscovered engraving by Henry Moses (1781-1870), published in A Collection of Antique Vases, Altars, Paterae, Tripods, Candelabra, Sarcophagi… in 1814 (pl. 49). The engraving matches Boulton’s frieze precisely, yet Boulton’s vase predates the publication. Moses’s caption, ‘From casts of vases in my collection,’ suggests that an exact classical model once existed and may yet be identified. This discovery opens the possibility of a direct ancient source for Boulton’s design.
Of the recorded 'Bacchanalian' vases, Boulton supplied one to Hugh Smythson, 1st Duke of Northumberland (d. 1786) circa 1770-5, which remains at Syon House, Middlessex. Two more, reserved at '£14, 6s. 0d', were offered in the Christie and Ansell Sale of May 1778, the first being described as: 'an elegant vase in statuary marble and ormoulu after the antique, on which is a bas relief representing Mercury delivering the infant Bacchus in the care of Ino. This piece turns around on a swivel for the conveniency of viewing the bas-relief and is perforated and lined for essences.' Of these, one may be that recorded in the 1782 inventory following John Fothergill's death, while the other may be the 'ormolu Bacchanalian vase' sold to Lord Stormont in 1783 for '£16, 16. 0d'. This model is evidently among the rarest of all surviving pieces by Matthew Boulton. A pair of this model was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 3 July 1980, lot 10, and a single example sold from the collection of Edward Sarofim; Christie's, London, 16 November 1995, lot 120.
THE DUKES OF WÜRTTEMBERG
This vase originates from the former palace of the Dukes of Württemberg in Carlsruhe, Upper Silesia (present-day Pokój, Poland). It has yet to be discovered how this vase came to their collections, but Matthew Boulton regularly exported orders from Soho to the continent of Europe, including a very large order for Empress Catherine of Russia delivered in 1776.
Founded in 1749 as a hunting lodge and summer residence by Duke Carl Christian Erdmann von Württemberg-Oels (1716-1792), the Carlsruhe palace burned down in 1751, was rebuilt, and was again destroyed by fire in 1798 before being reconstructed a second time. From 1763 onward, the planned residential city of Carlsruhe developed around it, featuring a park laid out first in the French Baroque style and later updated with English-style gardens. By the mid-19th century, the town had evolved into a spa destination with hydrotherapy facilities, guesthouses, and restaurants.
Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (1865-1939), heir to the Kingdom of Württemberg, married Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria (1870-1902) in 1893. They lived primarily at his palace in Stuttgart until 1918, when his cousin King Wilhelm II (1848-1921) abdicated following the November Revolution and the abolition of the monarchy. The former king granted Albrecht and his family Altshausen Castle as their main residence, and upon Wilhelm’s death in 1921, Albrecht also inherited the Carlsruhe palace. In 1924, Albrecht and Margarete’s second son, also named Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg, married Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria (1899-1958), daughter of the former Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry. Their eldest son, Ferdinand Eugen, was born in 1925.
The palace at Carlsruhe was destroyed in 1945 during the advance of the Red Army, but its movable contents had been transferred to safety beforehand. The collection remained with the Württemberg family and was eventually inherited by Ferdinand Eugen (1925-2020), Duke of Württemberg. Following his death in 2020, this vase appeared at auction (Neumeister, Munich, 30 March 2022, lot 1262) alongside other items from his estate—objects originally saved from Schloss Carlsruhe and kept stored in crates since their removal.