This urn corresponds to no.VII in the 1807 priced catalogue of the Taillerie de Porphyre at Alvdalen, Sweden, which was illustrated in the Prix-Courant des différentes pièces de la Manufacture de Porphyre d'Elfdal en Suède, qui se vendant a Stockholm Sous l'adresse de la Direction de la Manufacture des Porphyres d'Elfdal. Indeed, in a letter dated 22 May 1799, the ciseleur de la Cour Fredrik Ludvig Rung discussed the price and the cost of mounting porphyry urns. (see detail)

The Alvdalen porphyry seam was discovered in 1731 and flourished in 1788 with new techniques introduced by Eric Hagström under the direction of Nils Adam Bielke. However, production stopped in 1869 after a fire destroyed part of the factory.