Stock No: 16698

A very fine 18th century alabaster copy of the Medici Vase, after the antique. Almost certainly made in Italy for a wealthy Grand Tourist and a faithful copy of one of the most renowned Roman artefacts from Italy.
The origins of the Medici Vase are uncertain, the first record of the vase being in an inventory of the Villa Medici in Rome in 1598. In 1780, it was moved to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
It is particularly significant as it is the only extant Roman krater to not have a Dionysian theme, although the subject remains unclear. It depicts a statue of Apollo Lyricine, who was later restored mistakenly as Diana, with a bare-breasted woman at the foot of the statue, while other figures gaze solemnly towards this scene.
The narrative scene is bordered by a decoration of vine shoots and leaves to the upper portion, whilst the lower portion has phytomorphic, acanthine decoration also carved in low relief. The original vase would have once been brightly decorated, and highlighted in gold.

This version is a good size, and of exceptional quality.

Italian, c.1770.

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