Hand-carved Greek Serpentino Porphyry box containing a split Rock-Crystal cube
Classical Greek green porphyry, or ‘Serpentino’. Beloved of the ancients, at which time it was abundant as surface deposits locally in Sparta. Its use spread throughout the ancient world in small sculpture and decorative tesserae, and in buildings such as the Parthenon and Hagia Sophia. This piece retains some of its weathered and bleached surface typical of the blocks as originally collected.
