Porphyry is what? Types of porphyry

Color designation - this is one of the groups of vocabulary, constantly attracting the attention of researchers. The names of tones and shades are considered by scientists from the point of view of the semantic, historical, etymological and many other aspects. The researchers are also interested in the origin of the names of flowers, among which the red one stands out. This is due to its brightness, symbolism and cultural saturation.

Title appearance history

Modern Russian language has about fifty lexemes, which indicate different shades of red. One of the designations of this tone is porphyry. This noun appeared in Russia in the 11th century. This is confirmed by the Ostromir Gospel, which dates back to 1057. In it, porphyry is purple and purple royal clothes.

Somewhat later, the lexical meaning of this word expanded. What else did the porphyry noun indicate? This is purple, and dark red valuable paint, used for dyeing fabrics.

In its color designation the word "porphyry" is synonymous with the word "purple". It means dark red, dark purple and reddish-violet shade. A paint of this color in antiquity was obtained from a certain type of mollusks.

Porphyry is a borrowed word. In Russian it came from Latin. In turn, the Romans borrowed this word from the Greeks in several meanings. This is a snail giving scarlet, and purple paint, and dark red clothes or robes.

What does the word "porphyry" mean?

To answer this question, turn to the dictionary. According to his explanations, in modern Russian the word "porphyry" is called:

• Purple, crimson or dark red color;
• A species of special red algae that occur in the seas of belts with a temperate climate;
• A long purple mantle, in which the monks put on only in special and solemn occasions;
• Stone-rock pristine rock, close to granite;
• Dye is dark red color, having different shades;
• Purple matter, which in former times was intended for sewing outerwear for the reigning individuals and other important persons.

Dye

The Phoenicians began to extract the porphyry first. They collected from the bottom of the sea an unprepossessing sight of small shells, each of which was pressed to get just a few drops of thick liquid. This was a remarkable color of porphyry. For a small vessel filled with such a liquid, weaving artisans gave a whole ingot of silver weighing 8.4 grams. This dye stained the canvas, from which subsequently sewed clothes. The thicker porphyry composition gave lilac shades, the more liquid - the scarlet colors. Porcelain dye, extracted from sea shells, was very persistent. Clothing, the fabric of which he was present, could wear off at least every day without losing color. Similar attire was readily bought by military commanders, priests, princes and kings. This was due not only to the high quality of the items, but also to the significant cost of the fabrics that have always been a luxury item.

Nowadays, shells that give porphyry are no longer mined. In this color, the fabric is stained with an artificial color. It turns out much easier, cheaper and better than the Phoenicians. Nevertheless, this people entered the history of mankind as the discoverer of the dye color of porphyry.

Mantle

The first imperial porphyry in Russia was made in 1724 for the coronation of Catherine I. The weight of this garment was 60 kg. To the mantle was made a special clasp, which cost about one hundred thousand rubles.

Since then, in Russia, porphyry has become one of the regalia of power. This garment looked like a long cloak without sleeves. The upper part of the mantle was decorated with a pelerine of fur, an ermine, made in the form of a collar. On the back of the porphyry was an embroidered state emblem. Gornostay were framed and all the edges of the royal apparel, the length of which with a train for the emperor was 5 m 67 cm, and for the empress - 4 m 98 cm.

In earlier times, Byzantine porphyry in the form of a tunic was an invariable attribute of the rulers of the Roman state. Purple-colored mantle was the main difference between the Etruscan kings. In addition to the emperors, these robes were worn by priests who predicted the future.

Rocks

The stone of porphyry is of volcanic origin. This breed, which includes a large inclusion of a variety of minerals. Porphyry has a microcrystalline structure and is divided into quartz and non-quartz. This stone is used as a magnificent finishing, decorative and building material.

History of the application of the breed

One of the first quartz porphyry began to use Egyptian masters. And in the art of making various products from this stone, they reached significant heights. From the porphyries were built sarcophagi. This stone was used to make columns and statues, as well as various interior items. It should be said that all things of the ancient era, made of porphyry, today are of great artistic value. During the reign of the Egyptian pharaohs, this stone was considered a symbol of wealth and power. The same value porphyry represented for the emperors of Europe and Ancient Rome. It is not surprising that all the kings and rulers wanted to own the products made of this volcanic rock.

In Russia, valuable stone deposits were discovered in the Altai, near the Korgon River. It happened in the 18th century. Korgon porphyry was widely used in the construction of St. Petersburg. He went to the cutting of sculptures and bas-reliefs, decorating buildings. Products made of porphyry, were used in the design of luxurious mansions. And all the interior items for the Russian palaces were made by their own artisans-stone cutters, whose skill was famous throughout the world. And today, for rare specimens of bowls and vases from porphyry made at the factories of Peterhof, the Urals and Altai, you can admire it by visiting the Hermitage. Some of these works received awards at the World Exhibitions in Vienna, Paris and London. There are works of Russian stone-cutting masters and in many museums of our planet.

In the 20th century, a large porphyry deposit was discovered in the north of Italy, in the Trento area. The stone from these layers has found wide application at power of the European roads.

Physico-mechanical characteristics

What are the properties of porphyry? It is a stone with high wear-resistant characteristics. It behaves superbly in aggressive environments, exhibiting resistance to the effects of various chemical agents. In addition, porphyry has excellent thermal insulation characteristics, which is very important for the climatic conditions of Russia. The stone well resists abrasion, shocks and scratches. At the same time it is durable and does not need special care.

According to its physical and mechanical properties, this material is similar to granite. Porphyry, moreover, even exceeds its strength by almost fifty percent. It should be said that, unlike granite, the stone of this volcanic rock never crumbles.

Interestingly, a very strong porphyry has a low specific gravity and high water absorption. This indicates its porous structure, which allows the stone to self-clean. Fat, oil or petrol stains, appearing on the porphyry, after a while disappear by themselves.

The building material of volcanic rocks is represented by a diverse range of colors. There are stones red and green, brown and yellow, gray and purple. There are such materials and colorful colors.

Application of porphyry stone

To date, natural material of volcanic rock origin is very popular in construction. Quartz porphyry is often used in urban and landscape architecture. The stone looks beautiful because of its magnificent natural texture, an interesting natural pattern and the presence of a huge range of colors.

The decorative characteristics of porphyry are such that it is used for both external and internal works. A solid and durable stone is adorned with facades of houses, used for paving paths, terraces and sidewalks. Porphyry form the steps of the stairs. They even just demarcate space, which looks very impressive.

For the finishing of pools, porphyry is also often used. The tile from this stone has a rough surface, which eliminates the possibility of slipping.

Solid and durable natural stone looks great as curbs of flower beds and sidewalks. It is convenient for them to lay surfaces that have a large slope.
The rooms are rich and modern, and the interior designer used porphyry. This amazing in its beauty stone is used for walls, floors, fireplaces, window sills. Such building material is a guarantee of high quality of the carried out works even in the most complex projects.

Red algae

In the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, as well as in the oceanic coastal zones of Asia, an amazing plant lives. It looks like a sheet or a wide plate of brown color, with torn edges. This plant is called "porphyry". Algae is also known as a red sea salad. Its unusual color of porphyry was obtained thanks to such substances, included in its composition, as phycocyan, phycoaritrine and chlorophyll. An unusual combination and gives the plant such an interesting pigmentation. Sometimes there are plates of porphyry brownish, rosy red or even bluish.

For a long time, seaweed has been used by people for food. Such plants also serve as a pet food.

Until now, residents of Japan and China are highly prized porphyry. Algae for the people of these countries is a cult food, and its use is equated with ritual. As for the inhabitants of European countries, they never tasted this red sea salad, using it only for food purposes, and it's a pity, because this is a product rich in protein and vitamins A, D, C, B ₁ , B ₂ and B ₁₂ .

Red algae (porphyry) are widely used in the cooking of the Land of the Rising Sun. Its inhabitants call this nori plant. By smell, this kind of porphyry, growing near the coast of Japan, resembles cabbage, and to your liking it looks like spinach. They love these sea leaves for their useful properties and ease of use. Nori is used as a side dish and for making sushi. These seaweed, the Japanese prefer to eat with rice, and also add them to soups and salads. Shredded or pounded porphyry leaves are decorated with noodle dishes and mixed sushi. Algae Nori are loved for their smoky smack and delicate aroma of ocean waters.

Company Porphyry

A modern person who appreciates good taste has already become accustomed to such phrases as Italian shoes and German cars, Swiss watches and French perfumes. All these goods belong to the premium class and are produced by well-known brands. However, popularity does not come in one day. And the one who today is the flagship in the production of a particular product, has a long, sometimes even centuries-old history of its development.

However, in the world of popular brands new stars are constantly lighting up. One of them was the firm Porphyry. It is located in Belarus, a country with rich traditions in the production of various goods, and a special, very responsible attitude to work. Today in the expanses of the former USSR the goods made in the Republic of Belarus are highly quoted. Whether it's food or cosmetics, women's clothes or shoes, the phrase "Made in Belarus" is a kind of guarantor of quality.

What products does the company Porphyry? Women's clothing is its main direction. Fashion models combined the best practices of Belarusian light industry and design school. Their release is made only by the most modern technologies.

Four times a year the new collection is presented to its customers by Porphyry. Clothing for women, made in European style, is distinguished by a magnificent fit in the figure and high quality of tailoring.

Women's clothing produced by Porphyra has a reincarnation. Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity can only choose an impeccable minimalism or extravagant ethno, always topical classics or bohemian chic. But anyway, in the clothes of the Belarusian producer the woman will certainly feel herself inimitable. All models of the presented collections are not those nameless things that trading organizations buy in bulk and at retail. An increasing number of women become fans of the brand "Porphyry", which means the beginning of the history of the new brand. Perhaps, it will be very short time, and Minsk will become one of the links of the famous chain, which includes the most fashionable capitals of the world, such as Paris and Milan, New York, London and Tokyo.