porphyry

(noun)

A hard igneous rock consisting of large crystals in a fine-grained matrix.

Related Terms

Examples of porphyry in the following topics:

  • Imperial Sculpture under the Tetrarchy

    • The medium of the famous porphyry sculpture of the Tetrarchs, originally from the city of Constantinople, represents the permanence of the emperors.
    • A porphyry bust of Galerius (c. 300 CE) shows the direction that portraiture was taking in the fourth century.
    • Porphyry. c. 305 CE.

  • The Nile River

    • Deposits of decorative stones such as porphyry, greywacke, alabaster, and carnelian dotted the eastern desert and were collected even before the First Dynasty.

  • Architecture under Constantine

    • Like the porphyry bust of Galerius, Constantine's portrait combines naturalism in his nose, mouth, and chin with a growing sense of abstraction in his eyes and geometric hairstyle.