It is not known where or when the 'Barberini' vase first existed. Several suggestions—Syrian, Greek, Roman—have been put forward over the centuries. What is known is that it appeared in Rome during the mid-15th century, eventually finding its way into the hands of the Barberini family. By the 1780s, it was in the possession of a Scotsman named James Byres. He realised he could have copies made in plaster and commissioned James Tassie to make 60 copies, one of which was bought by William Constable and is still in the museum at Burton Constable Hall.

In 1782, Sir William Hamilton, who was the envoy at the court in Naples and had a passion for collecting antiquities, bought the original vase from the Barberini’s for £1,000. He eventually sold it in February 1784 to the Duchess of Portland for £1,800 guineas. This was when the vase changed its name, as it was to be displayed in her famous ‘cabinet of curiosities.’ A year later, after her death on the 7th of June 1786, the ‘cabinet,’ along with many of her other items, was put up for sale at an auction that lasted 38 days! The vase fetched £980 guineas and was bought by an unknown man who immediately disappeared from sight, with no one knowing who the purchaser was. In fact, it had been taken straight to Josiah Wedgwood on the orders of the true purchaser, the new Duke of Portland, for Josiah to copy. Wedgwood had been in discussions with the Duchess for some time with a view to making copies. He had also corresponded with Hamilton.

At this point in its history, the vase was thought to be made of stone, but while trying to discover its composition, Wedgwood realised that it was actually made of glass. This meant that his jasperware was ideal for making copies! For 4 years, he was engaged in this work, being helped by Henry Webber and William Hackwood, who were Wedgwood’s greatest modellers. He carefully experimented to match the copy to the original vase’s colour. Even today, only the most experienced potters are allowed to throw the vase, which requires 14 lbs of clay. Firing was also a challenge at the time, with coal-fired kilns fluctuating in temperature due to weather conditions. It is thought that Josiah aimed to make about 45 vases in the first edition, costing about 50 guineas each. By April 1791, 15 copies were ready to be shown to Queen Charlotte. Joshua Reynolds declared it a “true and correct faithful copy.”

Since Josiah's time, several limited-edition vases have been made at the Wedgwood factory, usually for special anniversaries connected to Josiah Wedgwood or the factory. They have also been produced in various colours and sizes. Today, at auction, Wedgwood's original vases can fetch thousands of pounds.

And what happened to the original Barberini vase? It still resides in the British Museum, where it has been since 1810 when the 4th Duke of Portland loaned it for public display. That was until 1845, when one visitor objected to it and shattered the vase into hundreds of pieces! Six months later, with the help of one of Josiah Wedgwood's original copies, a museum craftsman rebuilt the vase. In 1929, the 6th Duke of Portland, still being the owner, decided to put the vase up for sale at Christie's, but it went unsold as it did not reach the reserve price. Finally, in 1945, the vase was sold to the British Museum for an undisclosed amount. It now sits proudly among the highlights of the Gallery of Roman Antiquities.