What remarkable color! This massive sculpture—one of a pair—originally supported a deep oblong water basin. The enormous water basin stood in one of the grand halls of an imperial bath complex. Notice how each end is carved with a lion’s head, acanthus leaves, and an enormous, commanding paw. The entire outer side of the support is embellished with a foliate design that sprouts from a central, lotus-like motif. Delicate, curling vines with buds and flowers demonstrate remarkable grace and sensitivity.

This reddish-purple stone is known as porphyry. It is extremely hard, and very difficult to work. In antiquity, porphyry was highly regarded as an imperial stone, most likely because of its color—purple was the color of royalty—and, for its rare occurrence. The porphyry used in Imperial Rome came from a single quarry in the eastern desert of Egypt that was under the total control of the Roman Emperor. Its use in architecture and sculpture understandably remained quite limited.

This porphyry support exemplifies the opulence of Roman imperial sculpture. Its carefully articulated details and perfectly polished surface attest to the artist’s command over the most noble, and most difficult to work of all colored stones.