A characteristic feature of the products of the Yekaterinburg Lapidary Works from the first decade of the 19th century was the combination of stone with rich bronze ornament. The architect Andrei Voronikhin (1759-1814), a remarkable master of decorative form, made a great contribution to the creation of the finest works. His designs are marked by an overall purity and clarity. This bowl of dark green Ayat porphyry is resting on four female figures of patinated bronze. A surprising impression arises from the contrast of the heavy immobile mass of stone and the flexible gleaming bronze resting on a stone base.
The shallow oval bowl with a lid is topped by small bronze tongues of flame. Snuggling on the shoulders of the vase are light-winged putti, while its body bears four satyr masks looking downwards. The vertical element is formed by the four splendidly worked female figures that support the bowl. They stand on a cylinder of red Shoksha porphyry that in turn rests on a green marble pedestal. The different minerals and differently coloured bronze all combined into a single striking whole.
The composition is probably an allusion to the four elements: fire above, the winged putti representing air, the grotesque heads for water, and the four nymphs on the base for earth.