A remarkable Roman statuette of a frog sculpted in rare green porphyry. Also known as 'Spartan basalt', the striking volcanic stone was found only in a single quarry near the village of Krokees in the Peloponnese, and was rarely used for figurative sculptures in antiquity owing as much to its excessive hardness as to its scarcity. Speckled with feldspar crystals, the stone has been cleverly selected to mimic the amphibian's moist and mottled skin. A toad sculpted in red 'rosso antico' marble is also known from Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, where it probably served as decoration in the extensive gardens, and a similar context can also be imagined for this piece. Height: 11cm, Length: 22cm 1st-3rd century AD Gorny & Mosch Auctions