Porphyry block

Porphyry block.
Measurements: 30 x 13 x 7 cm.

Porphyry was a material widely used in Roman times because it embodied the power of emperors and rulers since Antiquity. The uniqueness of this material lies in its exceptional strength and durability. Its intrinsic qualities were perfectly suited to the message of power and authority, but also made it extremely difficult to work and carve. From the end of the Roman Empire porphyry represented a means of legitimizing and underlining the power of any pretender to the throne. Deep purple with white speckles, this durable stone was, according to Pliny's Naturalis Historia, discovered by the legionary Gaius Cominius in 18 CE at a place now called Mons Porphyrites (Porphyry Mountain), in the eastern desert of Egypt. The Romans gave the stone a name: "porphyry," which derives from the Latin word for purple, the color of nobility. Making objects from this hard stone was both a political and artistic statement. From the 5th century onwards, the quarries ceased to be exploited and Porphyrites was lost into oblivion. Thereafter, the only source of porphyry of this type used in Western Europe was the ruins of Ancient Rome, giving the new works created a deep spiritual connection to Antiquity.