Category details
Categoryporphyry
SourceArt & Architecture Thesaurus
Overview
A dark purplish-red rock, first quarried in ancient Egypt, containing relatively large crystals in a fine-grained igneous matrix. One of the hardest rocks, it takes a high polish and is valued as a durable sculptor's material and as a decorative architectural material. It is considered the best material for the muller and slab used for grinding artists' colors.