Porphyry obelisk

A wonderful Italian obelisk, Porfido serpentino antico (Greece).
Ca 1600. No damage. Beautiful patina.
According to the Schloss Ambras description : “In the course of the Counter-Reformation, Pope Sixtus V had Egyptian obelisks erected in front of the main churches in Rome as a sign of the triumph of Catholicism. Subsequently, they became popular ornaments and architectural elements. The obelisk made of red-veined marble was already mentioned in Archduke Ferdinand II's estate inventory of 1596. While less marble was used in the Middle Ages, it was as popular in the Renaissance as it was in antiquity.”
Comparanda :
Schloss Ambras, Inv. nr. PA928. : Ball is missing, the obelisk was broken.