This medium size version of Wedgwood's Portland Vase model is large enough to allow sharp detail and to capture the beauty of the justly famed relief figures of gods and demi-gods.

As with the original in the British Museum, the shape is that of an amphora of which the pointed end has been truncated and replaced with a flat base. The modesty of the classical figures is preserved by the modified draperies adopted by the pottery for most of its nineteenth century versions. The figures, rocky ledges, and architectural elements stand in elegant contrast to the smooth black jasper dip surface.

The Portland Vase, along with the Elgin Marbles, must stand in the forefront of ancient treasures that have found a home in Great Britain. Josiah I's obsession with copying the Roman cameo glass vase in jasper is well known, as is the association of the vase with Wedgwood as its corporate logo.

There are many twists and turns in its history that are less well-known, but are recounted in a most entertaining manner in The Portland Vase: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Mysterious Roman Treasure by Robin Brooks (2005). We recommend the book and, of course, also recommend the inclusion of some variant of the Portland in any serious Wedgwood collection.