A Regency Blue John Campana Urn, Circa 1815

Acquired by the father of the present owner, a collector of Blue John objects, in the 1980’s;

Sotheby’s London, 11 December 2020, lot 23;

Rolleston, London.

The extraordinarily well figured and richly coloured blue-john on this vase would appear to have been quarried from the all but depleted 'Bull Beef Vein' located in the Blue John Mine and Cavern, Castleton, Derbyshire. This rare fluorspar only occurs in Derbyshire and has been treasured since Roman times. It was however mainly in the second half of the eighteenth century that the demand for this stone was reignited, largely through the entrepreneurial metal-worker Matthew Boulton and the renowned neo-classical architect Robert Adam who realised the potential of the wonderful colouration to be found in this mineral and utilised it to great effect in decorative objects and architectural detailing respectively. The dark colouring of the 'Bull Beef Vein', so named due to its resemblance to rare steak, was the most desirable of the fourteen or so named veins identified in the early nineteenth century and prized by craftsmen and patrons at this time.