THE NARCISSUS
Gogotte stone

Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland

Gogottes are rare, 30-million-year-old, naturally shaped sandstone concretions, found in an area near Fontainebleau, in northern France. Louis XIV of France was fascinated by them, and a great number of these wonders of nature were used to adorn the gardens at Versailles.

Formed from quartz crystals, gogottes are held together by calcium carbonate. They were produced when superheated water extruded through crevices into a basin of extremely fine white silicate sand. The water was saturated with calcium carbonate (limestone). Over millions of years, the swirls and eddies of the water were captured in the gradually concreting stone, forming the most wonderful natural sculptures.

The gogotte presented here is a very interesting example, having an overall beautiful shape and even surface colour. Most importantly it shows no break-point whatsoever. This means the stone was dislodged from the main structure and fell into the pond of water, where it remained another several million years.