What is the connection between the Australian Open trophy and The Chalice of Fortune?
In my novel the characters are on a quest to find the Chalice of Fortune which is better known as the historic Warwick Vase.
In the Australian Open tennis tournament, the men's champion is awarded the Norman Brookes trophy which is based on the design of the Warwick Vase as you will see from the images below.
The Warwick Vase is made of marble and stands five feet tall. According to some sources, it is one of the finest remains of Grecian art and is approximately two thousand four hundred years old, although according to other sources it is Roman in origin and was created for the Roman Emperor Hadrian (76 – 138 A.D.). The Vase is emblazoned with motifs relating to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine (or the Greek god Dionysos).
The Vase was found in Lake Pantanello, near Tivoli (near Rome). In 540 A.D., the Ostro-Gothic King, Totila, occupied Hadrian’s villa when he laid siege to Rome, and it is believed that the Warwick Vase was thrown into the lake to protect it from invaders. In 1770 the Warwick Vase was discovered in the lake but unfortunately in fragments. It was excavated by Scottish painter, Gavin Hamilton who sold the excavated fragments of the Vase to the British Ambassador in Naples, Sir William Hamilton, who had it reconstructed at significant expense. George Greville, the Earl of Warwick, purchased the Vase and it was displayed in the Conservatory at Warwick Castle. The Warwick Vase took its name from its owner, the Earl of Warwick. The Vase became one of the most sought-after objects in Europe and when Napoleon was planning his invasion of Britain, he declared that the first thing he wished to confiscate was the Warwick Vase. The Vase is housed in the Burrell Collection at a museum in Glasgow, Scotland. A replica of the Vase is still on display at the Conservatory at Warwick Castle.
The Norman Brookes trophy continues to showcase the beauty of the timeless design of the Warwick Vase and the mastery of the workmanship in creating the iconic form. The 2025 Norman Brookes Trophy was created by Brad Sullivan silversmith of W. J. Sanders. However, we’ll probably never know who first designed and created the iconic Warwick Vase around 2,000 years ago.
