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2 avril 2018

Six gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 02 Apr 2018

A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France

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Lot 3006. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; w. 115.5 cm, 45 1/2  in. Estimate 180,000 — 220,000 HKDLot sold 225,000 HKD.  © Sotheby's 2018.

powerfully carved in the form of a human skull consisting of the cranium and upper jaws, the cadaverous face rendered being stripped of its remaining flesh with several teeth missing, covered with a monochromatic layer of brown paint.

NoteA gogotte is a millions-of-years old naturally shaped mineral rarity consisting of tiny quartz fragments held together by calcium carbonate. These bizarre sandstone formations from Fontainebleau in France, which inspired the Surrealists, can also be viewed today in the Versailles gardens. Louis XIV of France, known as the Sun King, commissioned similar gogottes to be excavated for his gardens. The ornately rounded, scrolling formations — somewhat Baroque in design — have been restored to their original state surrounding the mysterious Grove of the Three Fountains designed by Le Nôtre in 1677. A particularly well-preserved example of a sandstone concretion is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. See also five other gogotte formations in this sale, lots 3024, 3041, 3055, 3088 and 3102.

A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France;

Lot 3088. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; h. 87.8 cm, 34 1/2  in. Estimate 150,000 — 250,000 HKD. Lot sold 400,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018.

impressively oriented to stand on one point with a widening structure perforated with natural openings, the body formed with soft rounded concretions with cascading layers and twisted swirls, stand.

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Lot 3041. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; w. 82.5 cm, 32 1/2  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKDLot sold 187,500 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018.

of expansive and moderately flattened proportions, the irregular structure amassed of soft twisting and swirling layers and clusters, the natural greyish-white sandstone assemblage perforated with small natural apertures, stand.

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Lot 3055. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; h. 60.5 cm, 23 7/8  in., w. 43 cm, 16 7/8  in. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 HKDLot sold 325,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018.

of irregular form with rounded clusters of swirls and twisting layers, perforated with natural apertures, the assemblage of sandstone with a greyish-white surface, stand.

A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France

Lot 3102. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; 34 cm, 13 3/8  in. Estimate 30,000 — 40,000 HKD. Lot sold 93,750 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018.

the concretion with an irregular structure comprising three main sections of twisting and swirling layers, each with a different orientation, the sandstone of a pale greyish-white colour, stand.

A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France

Lot 3024. A gogotte, Oligocene (30 million years old), Fontainebleau, France; 29 cm, 11 3/8  in. Estimate 18,000 — 25,000 HKD. Lot sold 40,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2018.

with swirling layers forming almost concentric rings, the concretion of a pale greyish-white colour, stand.

 

Sotheby's. Curiosity IV, Hong Kong, 02 Apr 2018, 10:30 AM

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