Lot 821* - A207 Out of This World - Monday, 04. December 2023, 04.00 PM
GOGOTTE
Fontainebleau, France
30 million years
50 × 38 × 19 cm (not including stand)
30 million years
50 × 38 × 19 cm (not including stand)
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 specimen presented here is beautifully formed. The fine, soft shapes of the gogotte give rise to various associations with small animal shapes, but are still so abstract, that one can see the natural formation of the stone.
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 specimen presented here is beautifully formed. The fine, soft shapes of the gogotte give rise to various associations with small animal shapes, but are still so abstract, that one can see the natural formation of the stone.
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CHF 6 000 / 8 000 | (€ 6 190 / 8 250)
Sold for CHF 20 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.