The 2ft 2in (65cm) vase, the pair to another in the V&A, comes for sale at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on June 18 with a guide of $40,000-60,000.
Hope, a member of a Dutch banking dynasty and a designer and collector, commissioned the vase in the Greek Revival style for the dining room of his house on Duchess Street in London - the inspiration for his influential book titled Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.
The bronze and ormolu vase designed and commissioned by Thomas Hope.
It was made by acclaimed French artist Alexis Decaix (1778-1811) based on Hope’s design, which mirrored a classical volute (spiral scroll) krater.
“The appearance of this second example confirms Hope clearly took great care to ensure the vases would be displayed in perfect harmony, which supports what is known about his incredibly meticulous nature and approach to collecting,” according to Hope experts Philip Hewat-Jaboor (chairman of Masterpiece London) and William Iselin (London-based decorative arts consultant), who worked with Heritage to confirm the vase’s authenticity.
Heritage specialist Karen Rigdon discovered the piece in the collection of the late businessman and interior designer David D Denham (1943-2019). “The estate is unsure when the vase first entered Denham’s collection or when it was made into a side table [with the addition of a circular glass top],” she said. “But Denham was a well-known social figure in the area and admired for his collector’s eye.”
