A Regency Blue John two-handled vase, circa 1820

Acquired by the father of the present owner, a collector of Blue John objects, in the 1980’s.

The present lot should be placed amongst a small group of blue john vases generally attributed to John Shore from Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. They all follow the shape of Greek krater vases, with the present lot differing from the group for its baluster shaped body. More importantly, the main part of the body of the present vase is not done in small horizontal bands as is customary and can be seen in all other examples, but has been done from a single piece, an impressive technical feat.

These comparable examples are a vase at Chatsworth; another at Renishaw Hall (56cm. high), one sold at Sotheby’s New York (75.6cm, A Celebration of the English House, 9 April 2009, lot 144, $152,500); another at Sotheby’s New York (48.3cm high; Masterworks, 27^th January 2012, lot 4, $338,500), one from Keddleston Hall (48.5 cm high; sold Christie’s London, The Exceptional Sale, 9 July 2015, lot 108, £314,500) and finally a pair from the collections of Drue Heinz (38.7cm) sold Christie’s London (4^th June 2019, lot 130, £150,000)

Very little is known about John Shore except that he made a vase in 1815, 60cm high, which he claimed was the largest ever made in Blue John. This vase was later published by John Adam’s book Gem of the Peak although the two book editions (1843 and 1848) have different designs for it.