Pair of Portoro Black Marble Obelisks Various Sizes

Portoro Black Marble Obelisk.

Stylized table sculpture, with clean and elegant lines, the marble obelisk fits into all types of furnishings and environments, from classic to modern. It is of great impact in modern designer living rooms, alongside materials such as iron and wood, but also in combination with classic and antique furnishings.

Perfect as a gift idea for collectors and important occasions.

History and symbolism

The obelisk is a monolithic monument which has its origins in ancient Egypt. Together with the pyramids, it is one of the greatest expressions of Egyptian monumental art. It is characterized by the elongated and thin quadrangular shape, ending with a pyramidal tip.

The Egyptians believed that the Sun god resided in them and the Pharaohs used to place them in pairs at the entrance of the temples and in specific points of the cities in order to favor their fecundity and the circle of benevolent energies. Symbol of the link between the Pharaoh and the divinity, the obelisk stands out to represent absolute power.

In various cultures and traditions, it was believed that the obelisks, placed at the nodal points of the city, contributed to the sublimation of the energies of the place and brought well -being and fertility to the whole region. The city of Rome has as many as 9 original Egyptian obelisks, which were stolen during the conquest of Egypt.

Obelisks have always been enigmatic monuments, and throughout history they are often found as occult, Masonic and esoteric symbols. The evidence of the phallic form also underlines the power of the masculine energies, bearers of fecundating force in their encounter with the Earth, with the receptive feminine energies.

The obelisk is now used in homes, in small reproductions, as a symbol of fertility and good wishes.

Material

Marble, beloved by the most celebrated sculptors and architects around the world and throughout the ages, also asserting its artistic power in the modern conception of architecture and interior design.. The classic and timeless taste of Michelangelo’s favorite material adapts to the most varied contexts, from the new liberty and Baroque style, to clean and essential lines, up to industrial-inspired settings.

The black Portoro or Portovenere marble is a precious variety of Italian marble from the beautiful Golfo dei Poeti, in the Ligurian province of La Spezia, and is one of the most beautiful among the polychrome marbles. It is a very precious Italian stone of an intense and brilliant black color with golden veins ranging from intense yellow to honey color. The peculiarity of its appearance makes it a unique marble, irreplaceable as an ornamental material.

There is no stone like it, so distinctive and so luxuriously sophisticated. Portoro is a true work of art of nature, in front of which it is easy to be enchanted.

The appearance of its texture is a deep and intense black, almost velvety, particularly noticeable in the polished plates, on which it seems that gold has been poured from a glass. Veins, streaks, spots and shadows are actually the result of the presence of pyrite and ocher-limonite substances.