The MFA acquired this vase in 1877, the very year it was made. At the time, this was contemporary art from a new and innovative art-pottery workshop. Few of Chelsea Keramic’s Greek-style vases have survived, as they are made from fragile earthenware. They reflect a fashion for revivals of classical styles and the period’s intense interest in Greek pottery, reflected in the MFA’s own important collection of ancient vases.

---