Vase on a column stand

Various artists/makers

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 524

The Romans who attached ceremonial and liturgical symbolism to porphyry used this 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). Thomire is particularly well known for his outstanding work in the Empire style.

Vase on a column stand, Lapidary workshop: Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, Versailles, Egyptian porphyry, gilt-bronze mounts, French, Versailles and Paris

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Vase on a column stand, Lapidary workshop: Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, Versailles, Egyptian porphyry, gilt-bronze mounts, French, Versailles and Paris
Vase on a column stand, Lapidary workshop: Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, Versailles, Egyptian porphyry, gilt-bronze mounts, French, Versailles and Paris

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