Blyberg Porphyry Column

This graceful Blyberg porphyry column epitomizes the strength and beauty that has made porphyry a prized material since antiquity. Porphyry is a hard igneous rock containing crystals such as feldspar and quartz embedded in a dark red or purple groundmass. Its name derives from the ancient Greek word for purple, the color of royalty. Because of its color, strength and rarity, "Imperial Porphyry" was a symbol of nobility and status in ancient Rome and was used in statues, monuments, columns and sarcophagi.

The first discovery of porphyry in Sweden occurred in the Älvdalen region in the 1730s, and over the centuries it has gained a coveted reputation for its appearance and quality. Swedish porphyry has been used in objets d'art for royalty, including King George IV and Queen Victoria. Of all varieties of porphyry quarried in the Älvdalen region, Blyberg is the rarest and most sought after for its impressive purple hue and stunning white streaks redolent of stars in an evening sky, which are prominently displayed throughout this stately piece.

Circa 1870

12" wide x 12" deep x 43 5/8" high