Italian, 16th century

Overall the condition of the porphyry is very good. There is some minor wear consistent with age. There is some wear and dirt to the inside consistent with handling. The rim of the vessel displays a chip, further minor chips are found there as well and at the lid. The lid and its handle were carved from separate pieces. There is some purple pigment visible on the lower part of the lid's handle.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This extraordinary cylindrical porphyry covered vase is an extremely rare example of the earliest phase of porphyry carving in the Renaissance. Its very thin walls show the technical excellence and exceptional skills of its carver.

Egyptian red porphyry (porfido rosso antico) has long been a preferred material of emperors, royalty and distinguished collectors. Prized for its rarity, imperial colour and intrinsic beauty, the porphyry used by sculptors from antiquity through to the eighteenth century is an extremely hard stone of a deep purplish colour.  Porphyry was mined from the west coast of the Red Sea at Gebel Dokhan in Egypt in quarries long monopolized by ruling families. The extraordinary turned-cylindrical urn offered here bears close similarities to motifs used in Egypt and Rome from the 1^st-3^rd centuries (see Malgouyres andBlanc-Riehl, cat. no. 4, 9) and adopted in the 16^th century.

The Ptolemies, whose royal colour was purple, first recognized porphyry's preciousness and decorative values. As such, the quarries were owned and operated by the royal family and works of porphyry could only be carved at the emperor's will. When Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, the value and importance of the porphyry quarries did not wane. On the contrary, porphyry carving reached a new height, the Romans carved statues, gems, vases, sarcophagi, columns and busts in porphyry. The imperial associations of the hard stone persisted. 

Due to its rarity, the existence of porphyry after Roman times was due to the economical re-use of ancient porphyry. Byzantine emperors destroyed Roman monuments to use the porphyry in new contexts. The stone was also recycled occasionally in sculpture in medieval times as propaganda for its Roman political associations with power. It was not until the Italian Renaissance that porphyry carving flourished again. In Florence, artists were inspired by the challenge of working in such a hard stone.  Under the patronage of Cosimo I de'Medici, the use of porphyry was revived.  Cosimo sponsored the sculptors Francesco di Giovanni Ferrucci del Tadda and Pier Maria Serbaldi, who specialised in carving new works in porphyry, instead of simply copying antique elements.

By the seventeenth century, princely collections were replete with ancient and renaissance porphyry.  Louis XIV had the largest collection of porphyry urns and vases ever amassed. The fascination with porphyry endured into the eighteenth century, the Duc d'Aumont founded a workshop at the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs where precious marbles and hard stones were cut, carved and polished, under François-Joseph Béllanger and the Italian stonecutter Augustin Bocciardi.  Many works in porphyry were mounted in gilt-bronze to adorn the residences the likes of Madame du Barry and the Marquis de Marigny.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Butters, The Triumph of Vulcan: Sculptors' Tools, Porphyry and the Prince in Ducal Florence, 1996; P. Malgouyres and C. Blanc-Riehl, Porphyre La Pierre Pourpre des Ptolémées aux Bonaparte, Paris, 2003, pp. 46-7, no. 4; pp. 54-6, no. 9