In May 1874, Alexander II gave Queen Victoria a vase and pedestal carved from Korgon porphyry. The entire vase took 18 months to produce and weighs over 600kg. The subtlety of the carving, featuring both highly polished areas and areas left matt, demonstrates the exceptional quality of the workmanship.

The vase was initially placed in the Sovereign’s Entrance at Windsor Castle, before being moved to the Crimson Drawing Room. It remained there until 1908, when it moved to the Orangery. It was placed in store from 1934 and at some point suffered some damage.

The vase underwent specialist conservation treatment in preparation for the exhibition Russia, Royalty & the Romanovs.