BY MATTHEW BOULTON, CIRCA 1770

Matthew Boulton's candle-vases of this pattern were among the first to be made at Soho. Early in 1770, Boulton thought that Augusta, the Dowager Princess of Wales, might be persuaded to buy a pair of 'Cleopatra' vases, although his description ends there. In the same year, the Marquess of Rockingham bought a pair, though there is no indication of precisely what form these vases took. This vase pattern was invented for 'altar-pedestals' bearing 'Cleopatra' medallions, and feature in Boulton's Pattern Book I (N. Goodison, Matthew Boulton: Ormolu, London, 2002, p. 330, pl. 330). The depiction derives from a James Tassie gem (ibid., p. 329, pl. 74:3).The medallions, however, actually depict Ceres, the goddess of plenty. It appears that at the time, Ceres was mistaken for Cleopatra.
Like many of Boulton's models, variations of this type exist. Many examples lack the Ceres/Cleopatra medallions altogether. Other known examples also feature glass bases simulating different stones such as lapis, agate, and aventurine (ibid., pl. 329), rather than a simulated marble as they do here. For a pair with simulated malachite glass bases, though lacking medallions, see Christie's, 17 May 2017, lot 63.