Also 9 verde-. [Older F. (now vert antique), ‘antique green.’ Cf. VERDE ANTICO.]
1. An ornamental variety of marble, consisting chiefly of serpentine mixed with calcite and dolomite.
1745. Pococke, Descr. East, II. I. 193. The hills of Antioch are part of them of a crumbling stone, like verd antique.
1755. Phil. Trans., XLIX. 109. Columns of verd’ antique and oriental alabaster.
1806. J. Pinkerton, Recollect. Paris, II. 139. Egyptian breccia … has been mistaken for the serpentine-marble, called verd antique.
1838. Macaulay, in Trevelyan, Life, vii. (1876), II. 32. I should like to see the walls of St. Paul’s incrusted with porphyry and verde antique.
1884. Mag. Art, April, 226/1. Its design must have been made entirely to suit the twelve columns of verd-antique which surround its walls.
attrib. 1828. Lights & Shades, II. 282. A verd-antique pitcher with an ear.
1857. Dana, Min. (1862), 147. Serpentine forms a handsome marble when polished, especially when mixed with limestone, constituting verd-antique marble.
b. Oriental verd-antique, green porphyry. Occasionally without adj. Also attrib.
1852. E. Barber, Painters’ [etc.] Assist., 75. To imitate Oriental Verdantique Marble.
1857. Dana, Min. (1862), 356. Green porphyry is the oriental verd antique of the ancients, and was held in high esteem.
1879. Rutley, Stud. Rocks, xii. 240. The verde-antique porphyry is one of the diabase-porphyrites.
2. A green incrustation on brass or copper; verdigris.
a. 1835. Mrs. Hemans, Last Wasp Scot., Poems (1849), 523. Never may housemaid wipe the verd antique From coin of thine.
1851. D. Wilson, Preh. Ann., III. v. 447. Another example…, covered with verd antique, is a light beautiful bracelet.
