Show Portland Vase Is Finest Cameo Cut Glass Relic The Portland Vase celebrated an an- ancient ancient dent Roman glass vase or cinerary urn was found during the pontificate pontificate pontificate cate of Urban VIII 44 1623 in a marble sarcophagus of Alexander and his moth moth- mother Severus Se it is thought er in the Monte del delGrano delGrano delGrano at first Grano near Rome It was at deposited in the Barberini palace Rome and hence is sometimes called the Barberini Vase Vasco It was bought boughtin in in 1770 by Sir William Hamilton and in 1787 by the Portland family who deposited it in 1810 1610 with the British museum where it has since remained except for an attempted auction in May 1929 at Christies When no worthwhile bid was re re- received received ed ceh-ed it returned to the possession of the duke of Portland who announced an an- announced announced it would continue to be on view at the British museum The vase was broken to pieces by bya a lunatic in 1845 18 according to a writer in the thc Philadelphia Inquirer but the fragments were very skill skill- skillfully skillfully skillfully fully united again The vase is 10 inches high with the ground of dark- dark blue glass and the subjects figure-subjects which adorn it are cut in cameo style in an outer layer of opaque white glass It is the finest specimen of an ancient cameo cut glass vase known |