Vase Front view

Two large ‘Etruscan’ vases play a pivotal role in the storyline of Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809–49) gothic short story, “The Assignation.” Recent scholarship has suggested that Poe may have been inspired by two 19th century earthenware vases now housed in the Valentine collection, one of which is shown here. Eager to acquire classical décor for his fashionable home, Poe’s adopted father and Mann S. Valentine’s brother-in-law, John Allan (1779–1834), may have imported these copies from Europe or have purchased them from a British dealer when the Allan family lived in England.