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Pair of Grand Tour Red Porphyry Specimen Column Fragments
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Description
A superbly decorative Grand Tour collection of porphyry specimens, to include Egyptian red porphyry, Greek green porphyry, and Italian green serpentine, often called “serpentine porphyry”.
Italy, 17th – 20th century.
Why we like them
We love the colour and sculptural quality of these rare objects, evoking classical sophistication of a well-travelled gentleman's library of the Enlightenment era.
These two columnar fragments are made of Egyptian red porphyry, also called Roman Imperial porphyry (porfido rosso romano).
The term porphyry is from the Ancient Greek ??????? (porphyra), meaning "purple". This 'Imperial Porphyry' comes from 600 million-year-old volcanic rock from Gabal Abu Dukhan quarry in the Eastern Desert of Egypt which was discovered by Romans in AD 18. It is highly prized for its rarity and noble 'Imperial' purple colour, a symbol of power. Pieces such as these were often made from broken ancient pieces, 'upcycled' in the 17th-19th centuries. -
More Information
Documentation: Signed Origin: Italy Period: 19th Century Materials: red porphyry Condition: Good. good antique condition, possibly fragments of a much older piece Number of Pieces: 2-3 Styles / Movements: Traditional Patterns: Textured Incollect Reference #: 553238 -
Dimensions
H. 4.53 in; H.2. 4.33 in; Diam. 3.74 in; H. 11.5 cm; H.2. 11 cm; Diam. 9.5 cm;
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