Object Type
This vase is an example of presentation silver which could have been displayed on the dining table during a very grand dinner or formed part of a massed group of silver ewers, basins and cups on a dining-room buffet. The buffet as a decorative element in the dining room had regained favour in the late 18th century.

People
The Patriotic Fund, a group of businessmen concerned to reward bravery in the Napoleonic War, held a competition to determine the design of the awards of swords, medals and vases. It was won by John Shaw's design for a vase. He received the top award of 50 guineas, but the artist and sculptor John Flaxman later modified the design for Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, the Royal Goldsmiths who had been commissioned to supply the vases. This vase was made by the silversmiths Benjamin Smith and Digby Scott, who managed Rundell's workshop from 1801 to 1807.

Design
The overall form of the vase was copied from that of the Greek volute krater. Examples of this antique vessel used for mixing wine and water were well known from illustrations and from the collection of Sir William Hamilton, which was bought and displayed by the British Museum in 1772. The figure of Britannia on one side of the vase ultimately derives from ancient Greek images of the goddess Athena, while on the other, the warrior slaying the serpent must be intended to represent the Greek hero Herakles destroying the Hydra. Numerous parallels exist in classical art for both reliefs, and the sophisticated reworking of the iconography suggests that John Flaxman was responsible for the designs. The vases cost between œ35 and œ651, depending on the size and elaboration of the ornament. The most expensive (œ651 5s) was awarded to Admiral Lord Nelson's widow. As this vase was not inscribed it is quite likely that it was never awarded.