Pair 19th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Alabastro Fiorito Lidded Vases

An important and rare pair of early 19th century gilt-bronze mounted fiorito alabaster lidded vases. These fabulous masterpieces are designed and crafted with exceptional refinement. The superbly cast and chased mounts retain their rich original gilding and enhance the most spectacular fiorito alabaster forms you can imagine. Fiorito Alabaster is one of the most beautiful and rare ancient stones, with its distinct veining, exceptional colours, and striking luster. It is a compact, banded travertine, composed mainly of calcite, with some bands of colorless prismatic crystals. Richly colored by iron oxides, red hematite, and brown goethite, it has in places clearly tufted growths, as seen in these magnificent examples, suggesting the action of cyanobacteria. It most likely originates from the Pamukkale area of Denizli, Turkey. The spa town of Pamukkale is home to the ancient city of Hierapolis, and travertine, deposited by hot springs, forms immense terraces from which stone was extracted in ancient times.