Porphyry basin

A long oval basin carved from dark red-purple porphyry, with a flat rim and sharply sloped sides that narrow toward a flat base. The speckled crystalline surface shows the stone's hardness and polish against a plain gray backdrop.

Look closer: Fine flecks of lighter crystal scattered across the surface catch the light along the rim.

Artist

Unknown

Date

2nd–3rd century CE

Medium

Porphyry

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3859 × 2217 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Lewis M. Dubroff, on the occasion of the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman galleries, 2009