18th Century and Earlier Vases and Vessels

This amphora is a well formed example of the Geometric period, decorated in dark brown slip with horizontal bands. The bands include short vertical lines, a blind lozenge chain, hatc...

This double-spouted vessel originates from the Peru and is distinguished by its sculptural anthropomorphic design. One of the chambers is shaped as a human figure with a triangular f...

A Highly Important pair of Museum Quality Louis XV Period 18th century Meissen Porcelain filigree openwork vases with a medially of flowers and vined leaves. This is truly an excepti...

An exceptional 18th C. Terracotta vessel from Calanda, Spain. A traditional present given to a bride on her wedding day.

I bought a very nice vase with white porcelain and blue dye. This is a sake bottle called Imari ware in Japan. Imari ware is a kiln with a long history that began in the 17th cen...

Provincial Umbrian terracotta pot with 3x carry handles, lovely finger made decoration where they join the main body of the pot. Wonderfully worn dark glaze surface with speckled ind...

A dark brown-glazed pearlware bough pot with pierced cover and applied decoration, made by Wedgwood circa 1785. The development of a whiteware body had been a goal of ceramicists ac...

An impressive ancient Chinese painted pottery vase, circa 500–200 BC, distinguished by its monumental form, sculptural animal handles, geometric ornament, and a series of individuall...

Provenance - Galerie Harmakhis, Brussels, Belgium. - R. C. Collection (1924 - 2023), Brussels, Belgium. Documents - Attached is a study on the antiquity of the piece issued by an Eg...

A very good quality pair of late 18th century Japanese lidded Imari vases. Each with Dog of foo gilded finials. Blue ground scrolling decoration, with i...

A fine pair of 18th century Dutch Delft blue and white lidded vases, marked VB for the pottery De Fortuyn ('t Fortuyn) in Delft. The VB mark was used by Pieter van den Briel, owner o...

I would like to introduce rare and interesting Japanese antique pottery. This is called "Tamba ware" in Japan. Tamba is a historic kiln located in Hyogo prefecture, Japan. (The part ...

Georgian Elegance: George III Brass-Bound Mahogany Wine Cooler on Carved Stand (c. 1765–1775) A superb mid-18th century George III mahogany wine cooler (or cellaret), dating to cir...

This rare and sculptural Canosan pottery figural oinochoe takes the form of an elegant female head, modeled in terracotta with softly articulated facial features and an elongated nec...

Set of 4 antique pewter measuring jugs Manufactured in Northern Italy from North of Bergamo up to the Valtellina Region Production Period aro...

A Korean ceramic celadon vase with inlay design from Goryeo Dynasty (918 to 1392AD) circa 11th century. Crafted in celadon-glazed ceramic with an olive-green tone, the vase features ...

White Neoclassical Urn. Large white glazed Italian urn form earthenware vase after the antique with classical figures in draped garments with sigillated urns on either side issuing ...

18th century faceted & gilt blown glass perfume bottle; England. Lacks stopper/cork. 5 1/2" x 1 1/4". Whitehall Antiques is a family business that has been a major source for the se...

This extraordinary First Edition Wedgwood rendering of the legendary Portland Vase is one of the rarest masterpieces of Josiah Wedgwood, the most important ceramics manufacturer of the 18th century. A tour de force of ceramic art, the Portland Vase First Editions are regarded as one of the greatest ceramic accomplishments of the 18th century, and they are a testament to the superior skill of Josiah Wedgwood, his extraordinary ambition and his tireless dedication to perfection. One of the very few First Editions still in private hands, this exceptional Wedgwood Portland Vase is one of the most important works of ceramics on the market. The story of Wedgwood and the Portland Vase is legendary. The original Portland Vase is the ancient world's most famous decorative arts masterpiece—a cameo glass vase dating to circa 25 CE with a frieze representing the myth of Peleus and Thetis, initially thought to be carved from stone. When it was first rediscovered around 1582, it captivated the world with its opaque white cameo figures over its rich blue background. After the vase was excavated it was owned by Cardinal Barberini, whose family later sold it to the Duke of Hamilton who eventually sold it to the Duchess of Portland, from whom the famed vase now takes its name. The famed British sculptor John Flaxman was likely the first to have brought the vase to Wedgwood’s attention. In a letter dated February 5, 1784, he wrote: “I wish you may soon come to town to see William Hamilton’s vase, it is the finest production of Art that has been brought to England and seems to be the very apex of perfection to which you are endeavouring to bring your bisque and jasper…” Indeed, the Portland Vase is a masterpiece of cameo-cutting, with a stunning frieze of opaque white cameo glass over its translucent deep blue form. Its beauty and translucence would inspire Wedgwood to undertake his years-long endeavor to precisely replicate the original in porcelain. Upon closer examination, Wedgwood realized the vase was not made of stone or earthenware, but of cameo glass—a technique so advanced it remains the masterpiece of cameo-cutting. Today, the vase is housed in the British Museum, where it is the second most viewed antiquity, only after the Rosetta Stone. It then took Wedgwood several painstaking years to craft his unparalleled copy of the vase, during which he perfected the jasperware technique that would become his crowning achievement. To this day, the renowned porcelain firm regards the vase as its most momentous triumph, so much so that the vessel’s silhouette is incorporated into the Wedgwood logo. The four years it took Wedgwood to complete his vase were not without tribulations. From the start, Wedgwood encountered numerous problems with his copies, from cracking and blistering to the difficulty of replicating the translucent effects of the original. The first acceptable copy was produced in October 1789 and sent to Wedgwood’s physician and friend Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Wedgwood presented another copy to Queen Charlotte in May 1790 and afterward organized a private exhibition of the vase at the Portland House in London. The viewing proved so popular that Wedgwood was forced to restrict the show to 1,900 visitors. Much of London wished to see Wedgwood’s greatest major achievement. Perhaps the highest praise of Wedgwood’s copy came from the famed artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, the founder of the British Royal Academy: “I can venture to declare it a correct and faithful imitation, both in regard to the general effect, and the most minute detail of the part.” Over the next few years, Wedgwood's oven records listed 43 First Edition copies of the Portland Vase produced between 1791 and 1796, 11 of which were broken during the firing process. In all, it is believed around 30 First Edition vases were completed, though an unknown number of these were somewhat damaged—one of these imperfect examples is currently held by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The perfect examples such as ours have found their way into the most important museum collections in the world. The British Museum (London), Art Institute of Chicago, Birmingham Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK), among others, all hold one of these highly coveted vases in their collections. In terms of technical achievement, the First Edition Portland Vases...

Elegant Tableware: Chinese Export Famille Rose Porcelain Wine Cooler Circa 1775 A finely potted and well-preserved Chinese Export porcelain vessel, functioning as either a wine co...

A wonderful example of a 17th Century Sawankhalok ceramic jar from the Kingdom of Sukhothai, Thailand. It features a wonderfully subtle turquoise undertone as well as natural marine ...

This is an earthenware blue and white jardinière, made in Nevers/France during the 18th century.

This wonderful antique late 18th century (1780 circa) Murano blown clear glass set of four lidded bottles recalling a genie bottle shape, is made of the most thin and see-through gla...

An exceptional, unusual and rare antique George III English Newcastle sterling silver sugar vase; an addition to our Newcastle silverware collection. This exceptional antique Georgi...

An elegantly carved stone vessel, once part of the founding collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Alabastra - small, ovoid vessels used to hold precious oils, per...

An exceptional monumental Japanese stoneware tsubo (storage jar), attributed to the celebrated Tamba kiln tradition and dating to the Edo period, circa 18th–19th century. Standing a...

A very charming French large scale copper pitcher. A terrific kitchen island oraccessory.

Ancient solid bronze vase with Chinese or Japanese elephants

Pair of fine antique ginger jars, circa 1699-1714) with pierced and cased cartouches and hand painted figural landscapes. Each with a different scene yet maintaining the mountain, la...

An absolutely stunning Bizen ware stoneware vase/jar/vessel - produced sometime during the late Momoyama period (1568-1600) / Early Edo Period (1603-1867). Bizen yaki...

Roman clay pot fragment. Charming artifact, a very good example of Roman pottery. This fragment was found in one of France's oldest ports, Fos-sur-Mer, ...

A very lovely Kangxi Chinese porcelain ginger jar with hand-painted, blue overglaze decoration with "one hundred treasures" motif. Jar has original p...

Han Dynasty Earthenware Vase

Chinese Blue & White 'Prunus' Jar/Vase & Cover Early Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) This impressive Chinese Blue & White 'Prunus' Jar/Vase and Cover, dating to the Early Qing Dynasty, is...

This registration is one of the pottery called Satsuma ware, which was made in Kagoshima Prefecture around the 18th to 19th centuries during the Edo period. (The area with a red circ...

A Ming Dynasty period glazed ceramic Martaban water jar from the 17th century, with tiger motifs and petite handles. Created in China during the 17th century, this Ming Dynasty perio...

This hand-thrown 3-handle confit pot, originating from Grottaglie, Puglia, and dating back to the late 1800s, is a beautiful example of rustic Italian farm...

A set of three Dutch Delft faience vases with capuchin brown glaze. Two urn forms with foo dog finials and one open vase. Octagonally faceted vases with relief cartouche motifs and ...

18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase , with beast decorated handles, painted in blue with river landscapes, a courting couple and bridge, within foliate an...

A very fine 18th century Dutch Delft pottery vase or jar. Of typical vasiform shape with medium and deep blue Chinoiserie landscape decoration, dot border to the top rim, and swag...

Wedgwood Rosso-Antico Vase, Circa 1790

18th Century Ceramic " Shipwreck " Vase with Barnacles.

Italian antique vase with lid in blue and white majolica, 1715 Vase with lid with round base in blue and white majolica. On one side of the vas...

We are pleased to introduce a glazed ceramic vase from the Liao dynasty of China, dating from the 10th century, about 1,000 years ago. The Liao dynasty was established by the Qidan ...

Storage Box with Lid Tibet 17th/18th century Wood, embossed leather, brass H: 9.25 in x D: 12.5 in :: 24 cm x 31.75 cm An exceptional round wood and leather-bound box. The top havin...

A fine and rare white, opaque glass vase decorated in the manner of James Giles. English or possibly Continental in origin. (Bohemian or German Milchgla...

This primitive earthenware jar sits with a quiet beauty, potted by hand with subtle asymmetry and devoid of surface decoration. Though an exact date is unknown, the jar carries signi...

From a collection of early Italian pottery, we offer this fine antique maiolica albarello hand painted with a lady feeding cattle and a gentleman on horseback dating from the 18th ce...

From a collection of early Italian pottery, we offer this fine antique maiolica albarello, probably Tuscan, hand painted with an inscription reading GR D ANETRA below a heraldic cres...

From a collection of early Italian pottery, we offer this fine antique maiolica albarello hand painted with the figure of a saint and inscription reading ZVCHARI CANDI ROST probably ...

Olpe Greek, Attic 5th century BC Pottery 9 cm high; 9.5 cm diameter Condition: Intact, with minor losses to the black glaze around the lip. Provenance: Private collection, M. B...

Old tinaja of Calanda (Teruel), Spain. Made of red clay with handcrafted circular figures and four handles. A "tinaja" is an oval terracotta jar with a narrow mouth and foot, usu...

Impressive pair of 18th century earthenware spice or tobacco jars hand decorated in blue and white floral chinoiserie under a tin glaze with later brass lids.

An American Midwest collection of four small Chinese ceramic vases covered in peach-bloom glaze circa Qing Dynasty, 19th century, possibly earlier. The set consists of three vases of...

An XL terracotta vessel from the town of Calanda, Spain Heavily, heavily patinated due to years of use with multiple old staple repairs. Originally used for the storage/transportat...

Pair of Diced Caneware Bough Pots and Covers, Staffordshire, Late 18th Century This pair of caneware bough pots is decorated overall with a bold geometric dicing that reads as remar...

A rare and impressive 17th-century Delft double-gourd vase, dating to circa 1680 and most probably produced in the Netherlands. The substantial vessel is decorated in the Chinese Tr...

Fitted traveling case with original hand blown gilt decorated bottles with the original crimson brocade cover, late 18th century. The case retains the original working lock and key o...

Three Chinese late 18th century Blue-Glazed and Gilt Porcelain Ginger Jars with a phoenix pierced on rock work, in a fenced garden of peonies. cm. 24

Nevers Faience 'Pot a Oranger' adorned with painted Asian house scene and a flowered decoration in shades of blue (camaieu bleu). Circa 1750 tin-glazed p...