Urn with cover
Unknown Artist
third quarter 19th century
Medium
Porphyry, gilt-bronze mounts
Dimensions
Height: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm)
Classification
Natural Substances
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Miss Sarah Lazarus, 1891
Accession Number
91.36.1a, b
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, this striking *Urn with Cover* hails from France's third quarter of the th century. Crafted from lustrous porphyry—a rare, hardstone prized for its deep reddish-purple hue—and adorned with ornate gilt-bronze mounts the urn stands an impressive 29½ inches tall. Its elegant form and luxurious materials evoke the grandeur of high-end decorative objects, perfect for a grand salon or cabinet display. Porphyry, quarried in limited ancient sites like Egypt's Mons Porphyrites, symbolized imperial power in R...