THE WARWICK VASE.

In an account which we recently gave of Warwick Castle, we mentioned the beautiful and celebrated specimen of Grecian art, which now embellishes the grounds of one of the finest monuments of the feudal grandeur of England. There is something extremely captivating to the imagination to witness one of the most exquisite pieces of ancient workmanship, said to be the production of Lysippus, a statuary of the age of Alexander the Great, thus preserved from the ravages of time, amidst the scenes which tell their story of a past age, not so far removed from the present day, but equally recalling lives and actors essentially different from our present habits and modes of thinking. ‘The Warwick Vase’ was dug up from the ruins of the Emperor Adrian’s villa at Tivoli, and was sent to England by the late Sir William Hamilton, in 1774. It is probably one of the most entire, and, to a certain extent, the most beautiful specimen of ancient sculpture which this country possesses. The material of which it is made is white marble. Its form is nearly spherical, with a deep reverted rim. Two interlacing vines, whose stems run into and constitute the handles, wreathe their tendrils, with fruit and foliage, round the upper part. The centre is composed of antique heads, which stand forward in grand relief. A panther’s skin, with the thyrsus of Bacchus (a favourite antique ornament) and other embellishments, complete the composition. This vase is of very large size, as it is capable of containing a hundred and sixty-three gallons. We have seen a copy of this vase, of the original dimensions, at Birmingham, executed in bronze; which work is one of the many proofs which exist in this country of the intimate union between the manufacturing arts and those which are connected with the highest display of taste. The importance of this union ought never to be lost sight of.