The Romans, who attached ceremonial and liturgical symbolism to porphyry, used the red volcanic stone found in Egypt for various decorative purposes. This vase and its pedestal were almost certainly carved from a single antique column brought from Italy and mounted with gilt bronze in a workshop founded at the Hôtel des Menus Plaisirs, Paris, in 1771–72. The mounts, of rams' heads and swags of vine leaves and grapes, are possibly by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843), who is well known for his outstanding work in the Empire style.
