Mars Vase

Worcester Royal Porcelain Company, the only significant English majolica maker not situated in Staffordshire, was founded in 1751 in the city of Worcester in central England’s West Midlands region. The firm made its reputation in the production of high-quality porcelain, but by the 1840s, both its output and standing had declined. In the second half of the nineteenth century, under the leadership of a new owner, William Henry Kerr (1823–1879), and art director, Richard William Binns (1819–1900), the company embarked on a period of innovation. During this time, it introduced a variety of new ceramic bodies including earthenware with majolica glazes, which it began to manufacture in 1868. The firm subsequently received critical acclaim and international exhibition awards for the sophisticated design of its majolica, noteworthy for its fine, porcelain-like body.

More than two feet tall, this vase is one of the few large examples of the colorful earthenware produced by Worcester. This vase or another example decorated in a different combination of glaze colors was featured in the firm’s display at the London International Exhibition of 1871. Its central decoration depicting Mars, the god of war, with the zodiac symbols for Aries (a ram) and Scorpio (a scorpion), was painted by Eduard Béjot. This copies one of the mosaics that adorn the ceiling in the Chigi Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, which were created after designs by Raphael. The immediate source for Béjot may have been an engraving from a set reproducing the Raphael mosaics dating from 1695, by Nicolas Dorigny (1658–1746).

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Sale, Strawser Auction Group, Hatfield, Pennsylvania, 30 October 2010, lot 664; purchased by Edward Flower, Bay Shore, New York, 2010; sale, Strawser Auction Group, Kulpsville, Pennsylvania, 23 August 2023, lot 1069; purchased by Deborah and Philip English, Baltimore, 2023; given to the Walters Art Museum, 2024.