A George III ormolu mounted ‘cliff blue vein’ Blue John candle vase by Matthew Boulton.

There are two separate payments to Boulton found in the Warwick ledgers in the archives of Hoare's Bank. One is to the 1st Earl of Warwick on the 1st of May 1771 for £14 -14 s-0d which must have been for a smaller item. The second payment to Boulton can be found in the papers of the 1st Earl's son George Lord Grenville, later 2nd Earl of Warwick on November 2nd 1771 for £37-0s-0d.
According to Goodison of the four Caryatic candle vases in Christie's sale of 1771 one sold for £31-10s-0d and one reserved at the same amount remained unsold and was listed in Boulton's papers as unsold stock in May of 1771. It is unlikely that the unsold vase was acquired by Grenville since the description in Boulton's papers describes the plinth as 'richly inlaid'. The Warwick vase has a plain plinth applied with ormolu mouldings. The amount of £37-0s-0d paid to Boulton in 1771 is the correct amount for such a magnificent vase.

This vase is referred to in the 4 November 1809 inventory of Warwick Castle, Warwickshire, which describes in the Yellow Bedroom ‘A Derbyshire Pedestal and urn with four branches’. This item is further mentioned in a December 1924 inventory entitled ‘Articles in Warwick Castle of National or Historical Interest’, which lists in the Cedar Drawing Room a ‘20 in. Ormolu mounted Blue John Vase and Cover surmounted by a brass knob, two terminal female figures supporting two light candelabra, on four knob feet’.

The blue john lid has been replaced at some stage, but follows faithfully the original pattern by Matthew Boulton.