Waterloo Vase

Brief information

The Waterloo Vase began as a Napoleonic project and ended as a British monument to victory over Napoleon. In Tuscany, the emperor was shown a massive block of solid Carrara marble, and he ordered a classical vase to be carved from it in honor of the expected victories in Russia. After France’s defeat, the unfinished vase came into the possession of the British Prince Regent.

The British sculptor Richard Westmacott completed the work and added reliefs with a different meaning: they are dedicated to the victory at Waterloo. Its size also became part of the object’s fate. The vase was intended to be placed in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle, but it proved too heavy for indoor spaces. So, after a period in the National Gallery, it was installed in the garden of Buckingham Palace, where it has been since 1906.

What to notice first

It makes sense to look at the vase as an object in which material, form, and decoration argue with one another. The solid Carrara marble explains its weight: this is not a garden bowl of ordinary scale, but a monolith that the intended interior location in the castle could not support. The classical form refers to ancient models, especially the Medici Vase, so what matters in its appearance is not only its height, but also its attempt to look older than its own nineteenth century.

The relief decoration changes the political meaning of the object: a commission conceived for a Napoleonic victory was completed as a memorial to the British victory at Waterloo. Another noticeable detail is the condition of the marble. The source reports signs of erosion from atmospheric pollution; this surface reminds us that the vase ultimately became not a palace interior centerpiece, but an outdoor garden object.