of large hollow form and filled with sand, the exterior of the pitted surface of an attractive creamy-eggshell colour.

Provenance: Collection of Lord McAlpine Baron of West Green (1942-2014), friend and advisor to Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher. Lord McAlpine was the Treasurer of the Conservative Party and a great collector of Kunst Kammer Objects.

Note: he egg of the elephant bird is the largest egg ever known, outcompeting any known dinosaur eggs. Elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus), was reputedly a name coined by the great explorer Marco Polo. It was believed that the bird, reminiscent of a massive ostrich, stood over 10 feet tall and was so enormous that it could carry off an elephant. The elephant bird, now extinct, was active in the south of the island of Madagascar in the Spiny Forest where they fed on the trees. Their shells were highly prized by the Madagascans, they have been used both practically as containers and treasured as prestige collectables passed down from generations to generations.

In the nineteenth century during the European expeditions to Madagascar, these rare eggs of curiosity were discovered. Filled with awe, several of these were brought back to France and England, most of which are now housed in public museums. The present egg is one of a few which remain in private hands. It was formerly in the collection of Lord Alistair McAlpine, an English peer celebrated for his interest in the curios.

Robert Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green (1942-2014), an early supporter of and advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was the Treasurer of the Conservative Party in the 1980s. He was also an art collector and dealer of kunstkammer objects, which led him to open his shop, Erasmus, in Cork Street in London.

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