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Lot Essay
These impressive Blue John vases are closely related to another single vase of similar form, now in the collection of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire (T. Ford, Derbyshire Blue John, Ashbourne, 2000, p. 86), which was made in 1815 by James Shore of Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. Little is known of Shore other than his claim that his vase, which measured 24 inches high including the plinth, was the largest ever made. Shore's vase now has slate handles, although a contemporary illustration of it indicates that these were originally in Blue John (ibid, p. 90) and the pedestal was altered in height. A further closely related example with the same distinctive rounded handles but also with ormolu mounts was sold from the collection Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, from her London residence (Sotheby's, New York, 28 April 2010, lot 165, $266,500). The socles of each of these comparable vases are identically constructed to the present lot, being formed by a series of rings fitted one above the other.
Blue John, sometimes known as Derbyshire Spar, is a rare form of the mineral fluorspar. It is only mined in the caves of Derbyshire, England, mostly in the village of Castleton. The earliest reference to “Blue John” was found in a 1766 letter from Lady Mazarine, though earlier decorative applications of Blue John are recorded, including a plaque dated 1760 in the bridal suite of the Friary Hotel in Derby. The industrialist and manufacturer Matthew Boulton attempted to purchase or lease the mines for the production of decorative vases, referenced in a letter dated from 1768. The fashion for Blue John carried through into the 19th century, but by 1880’s, the output is said to have been limited by nearly 10 times its yearly production in the 18th century due to depletion of the deposits.
The profile of this vase is derived from an ancient Greek pottery krater, a large vessel intended for wine. Thomas Hope designed several vases of this form in bronze and gilt metal, including one appropriately ornamented with 'Bacchanalian masks, vine wreaths, and other emblems of Bacchus' (see T. Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, pl. XXXV, and D. Watkin and P. Hewat-Jaboor, eds., Thomas Hope Regency Designer, New Haven, 2008, exh. cat., pp. 416-417).
Blue John, sometimes known as Derbyshire Spar, is a rare form of the mineral fluorspar. It is only mined in the caves of Derbyshire, England, mostly in the village of Castleton. The earliest reference to “Blue John” was found in a 1766 letter from Lady Mazarine, though earlier decorative applications of Blue John are recorded, including a plaque dated 1760 in the bridal suite of the Friary Hotel in Derby. The industrialist and manufacturer Matthew Boulton attempted to purchase or lease the mines for the production of decorative vases, referenced in a letter dated from 1768. The fashion for Blue John carried through into the 19th century, but by 1880’s, the output is said to have been limited by nearly 10 times its yearly production in the 18th century due to depletion of the deposits.
The profile of this vase is derived from an ancient Greek pottery krater, a large vessel intended for wine. Thomas Hope designed several vases of this form in bronze and gilt metal, including one appropriately ornamented with 'Bacchanalian masks, vine wreaths, and other emblems of Bacchus' (see T. Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration, 1807, pl. XXXV, and D. Watkin and P. Hewat-Jaboor, eds., Thomas Hope Regency Designer, New Haven, 2008, exh. cat., pp. 416-417).