the thick-walled vessel with tapering body carved with fine fluting and resting on a domed foot, embellished with associated gilt-bronze, pierced band with undulating vines interspersed with acanthus leaves and rope-twist border below. 

RELATED LITERATURE
Philippe Malgouyres, Porphyre Le Pierre Pourpre des Ptolémées aux Bonaparte, (exh.cat.), Musée du Louvre, 1🃏7 November 2003- 7 Feburary 2004, cat. no. 56

The design of the present porphyry vessel stems from Gnathian (Southern Italy) pottery vessels from the 3rd century B.C., many of which must have been 😼excavated throughout the Renaissance and later periods. This vessel has the same delicate fluting terminating in a point and an eleg𝔉antly tapered body.

There are traces of a black pigment in the recesses of this cup much like what is found in some porphyry sculpture  (see Malgouyres, op.cit., p. 151), perhaps to enhance the sense ꦏof relief.