- Museum number
- F35A
F35B - Object
- Fake 'Roman' ewer and case, silver, ebonised wood, velvet, Italian, about 1825
- Description
- Antique silver ewer. Decorated in relief with the marriage of Cupid and Psyche. In ebonised wooden case lined with green velvet. With label stating that it was 'discovered at Herculaneum by the Prince of Syracuse in 1825'
- On display?
- Yes
Further description
- Simple name
- Vessel
Case - Dimensions
- regular: 32.5cm (h) x 15.0cm (l) x 10.0cm (w)
Silver ewer
Italian
Silver, in ebonised wooden case, about 1825
F35
Probably acquired by Sir William Holburne while on the Grand Tour, the label inside the case confidently states that ewer was discovered in Herculaneum by the ‘Prince of Syracuse in 1825’. However the ewer is quite unlike genuine examples from ancient Rome and it is almost certainly a deliberate fake. The ‘Prince of Syracuse’ was probably Prince Leopold, Count of Syracuse, who was only twelve when the ewer was supposedly discovered.
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