Portland Vase

The Portland Vase is displayed at the British Museum in London, where it has been one of the most celebrated pieces of Roman glass for over two centuries. It was purchased by the museum from the Portland family in 1945 after having been on loan there for decades.

The vase dates to approximately the 1st century CE, during the Roman period. It was created using the cameo glass technique, which involved layering white glass over dark blue glass and then carving away the white to create figural decoration in relief.

The vase takes its name from the Dukes of Portland, who owned it during the 18th and 19th centuries in England. The family had acquired it from earlier collectors after it was brought to Rome from an ancient tomb, reportedly in the late 16th century.

The white cameo figures carved into the blue ground depict mythological scenes, though scholars have debated the specific subject matter for centuries. Interpretations range from the story of Peleus and Thetis to the Judgment of Paris, with no scholarly consensus reached.