Portland Vase: The Extraordinary Odyssey of a Mysterious Roman Treasure
For thousands of years an enigmatic and astonishingly beautiful piece of Roman art has captivated those who have come in contact with it.Made before the birth of Christ, the Portland Vase, as it is called, is renowned for both its beauty and its mystery.\ In The Portland Vase, Robin Brooks takes us on a vivid journey across Europe and through the centuries, as this delicate piece of glass, less than ten inches in height, passes through the hands of a stunning cast of characters, including the...
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For thousands of years an enigmatic and astonishingly beautiful piece of Roman art has captivated those who have come in contact with it.Made before the birth of Christ, the Portland Vase, as it is called, is renowned for both its beauty and its mystery.In The Portland Vase, Robin Brooks takes us on a vivid journey across Europe and through the centuries, as this delicate piece of glass, less than ten inches in height, passes through the hands of a stunning cast of characters, including the first Roman emperor, Augustus; a notorious tomb raider; a reckless cardinal; a princess with a nasty gambling habit; the ceramics genius Josiah Wedgwood; the secretive Duchess of Portland; and a host of politicians, dilettantes, and scam artists.Rich with passion, inspiration, jealousy, and endless speculation, the story of The Portland Vase spans more than two thousand years and remains one of the art world's greatest enigmas.
The LipPrologue3The BodyFragment 1Breaking9Fragment 2Making20Fragment 3Discovery26Fragment 4Cardinal Del Monte and Nicolas Fabri de Peiresc37Fragment 5The Pope46Fragment 6Galileo Galilei and Tommaso Campanella53Fragment 7Cassiano dal Pozzo and the Barberini62Fragment 8James Byres74Fragment 9James Tassie and John Keats90Fragment 10Sir William Hamilton99Fragment 11The Duchess and Mrs. Delaney123Fragment 12Josiah Wedgwood134Fragment 13The Dukes of Portland and the Duchess of Gordon157Fragment 14John Doubleday and Thomas Windus169Fragment 15John, Fifth Duke of Portland and John Northwood175Fragment 16Christie's188Fragment 17Restoration197Fragment 18The Emperor Augustus210Fragment 19Jerome Eisenberg and Susan Walker217The BaseEpilogue227Bibliography229Acknowledgments235Index237
