A George V Cup Stylized on the Buckinham Vase
Silver & silver-gilt
London, 1911
Maker's mark of Elkington & Co
Height: 30.5cm, 12in
Weight: 2240g, 72oz 4dwt
The Buckingham vase, a Roman marble urn found at Hadrian’s Villa in 1769 was acquired in 1774 by George Nugent-Temple-Grenville, later the Marquis of Buckingham. It was then illustrated by Piranesi in his Vasi.

Virtually all of the great vases depicted by Piranesi were produced in silver as presentation pieces or wine coolers. Piranesi’s views provided the inspiration for several versions including a set of six made for the owner, the Marquees of Buckingham, in 1814, one presented to Sir Henry Russell in 1822 and one other used as the Doncaster race trophy in 1828.
Artist Biography:
The success of this well-known firm of electroplaters and manufacturing goldsmiths, the original patentees of the electroplating process.