Trojan Vase

A three fluted vase which is white and has blue accents. It is sitting on a multicoloured marble table.
Trojan vase from the Eldon House collection

Country of Origin: Turkey
Year: ca. 1900
Materials: Ceramic and paint 

The Harris Family collected this item, likely from a trip to Turkey. It is a flower vase, similar to a tulip vase which has multiple openings for thick stemmed flowers. This one is interesting as it is based on a historical vase. The bottom has an inscription which reads: Facsimile in the shape of a terracotta vase dug up by Dr. Schliemann from the ruins of the Homeric town of Troy.

Henrich Schliemann was an amateur archaeologist and is most well known for unearthing an ancient settlement in Turkey, which he claimed to be Troy. Over the next decade or so, he made multiple excavations of the site until his death in 1890. Some of the pieces he uncovered included jewelry and weaponry, and also ordinary items like crockery.

Victorians were very interested in the study of the classics, and Homer’s Iliad, which tells the story of the fall of Troy, was a popular poem. It is likely that the Harris’ collected this piece for its relation to Troy, and that it was more decorative than practical as there is little wear on the interior.

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron. We honour and respect the history, languages and culture of the diverse Indigenous people who call this territory home.

We acknowledge all the treaties that are specific to this area: the Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain; the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty of 1701; the McKee Treaty of 1790, the London Township Treaty of 1796, the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.

The three Indigenous Nations that are neighbours to London are the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation; Oneida Nation of the Thames; and the Munsee-Delaware Nation who all continue to live as sovereign Nations with individual and unique languages, cultures, and customs.