A Group of Six Assorted Egyptian Porphyry Fragments

Gérard Monluc, Paris

Porphyry quarried during the Ancient Roman era from the Red Sea Hills in the eastern desert of Egypt, known as the Mons Porpyhrites, was referred to as Imperial Porphyry, as the mines officially belonged to the Emperor, and the stone was used as building material for architecture and a medium for prestigious sculpture and monuments throughout the Empire. It was associated with royalty and particularly prized for its deep purple colour, and the name derives from the Greek word for purple. As the exact location of the quarry became lost around the fifth century A.D. and was only re-discovered in the early 19th century, lapidary workers had to rely on existing stocks and often re-used or re-worked ancient Roman items, particularly when porphyry enjoyed a revival in the late Renaissance and Baroque periods, with Rome again the principal centre of production.