The Department of Agriculture Short Horn Cattle Class Cup
Title
The Department of Agriculture Short Horn Cattle Class Cup
Creator
Date
Identifier
RDS_treasures_C18_Walker & Hall_Irish Government cup.jpg
Description
Realistically modelled as The Warwick Vase, with beaded shell and dart rim, the campana-form body chased with lion’s pelts and applied in high relief with Bacchic masks and thyrsi, with a roundel of chased stiff leaves below, the twin reeded bifurcated and entwined scroll handles with vine tendrils, on a gadrooned socle and square base with a further silver mounted stone base, the sides of the stone base each applied with a silver plaque, one engraved with an inscription SPRING SHOW 1978 FOR THE BEST ANIMAL SELECTED UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S SHORT HORN CATTLE IMPROVEMENT SCHEME, the other side engraved with names and dates, all contained in a fitted oak case.
The original Warwick Vase dates from the 2nd century B.C. and was excavated in fragments by Gavin Hamilton, a Scottish painter, antiquarian and art dealer, in 1769–70 from the grounds of the Villa Tiburtina near Tivoli, Rome, which belonged to the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The vase was purchased in 1778 by George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, from Sir William Hamilton, a British diplomat in Rome and a collector of antiquaries.
The original Warwick Vase dates from the 2nd century B.C. and was excavated in fragments by Gavin Hamilton, a Scottish painter, antiquarian and art dealer, in 1769–70 from the grounds of the Villa Tiburtina near Tivoli, Rome, which belonged to the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The vase was purchased in 1778 by George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick, from Sir William Hamilton, a British diplomat in Rome and a collector of antiquaries.
Source
RDS Treasures Collection
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Relation
RDS Library & Archives
Format
Silver
Coverage
1914
Original Format
Silver-gilt
Physical Dimensions
27.5 cm
Collection
Citation
Walker & Hall (Sheffield, UK), “The Department of Agriculture Short Horn Cattle Class Cup,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/4002.