This vase, currently taking a rest from displays in the Hampton Court Palace stores, is one of Henry VIII's valuable treasures imported from abroad. Tuscan vases were unusual in 16th-century England and highly prized by their wealthy Tudor owners, such as the royal household. 

This vase, probably made in Tuscany in the early 1500s, was produced for export to England. It has a white tin-glaze in imitation of oriental china, with hand-painted decorations. It displays the Tudor royal coat of arms (although the continental potter has mistakenly reversed the lions and the fleur-de-lis). This type of pottery is known as ‘Majolica’. 

Imports such as these were treasured possessions by wealthy patrons like the royal household. You will see similar vases in Tudor paintings, often holding flowers and peacock feathers. Alongside importing much of his kitchenware and pottery, Henry VIII also obtained many exotic herbs and spices from the eastern Mediterranean; he even introduced foreign cooks.

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This object is one of many items either on display or in store at Historic Royal Palaces. Click here to explore more >