Natural History - Insect in Polished Baltic Amber

A large section of Charonosaurus sp. hadrosaur egg nest on matrix, including three eggs each retaining some of the original shell surface. 17.3 kg, 43 cm



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

Dinosaur eggs are known from about 200 sites around the world, the majority in Asia and mostly in terrestrial (non-marine) rocks of the Cretaceous Period. It may be that thick calcite eggshells evolved during the Cretaceous (145 to 65 million years ago). Most dinosaur eggs have one of two forms of eggshell that are distinct from the shells of related modern animal groups, such as turtles or birds; however, some eggs closely resemble the type of shells seen in present day ostrich eggs.

A rare complete set of folded-card polyhedrons, each with extensive printed notes on the surfaces, dimension and properties; to be assembled from the 120 components into two adjacent cuboids within a wooden box with hinged lid and paper insert announcing 'Géométrie Stéréométrique -ou- Décomposition du cube en polyèdres réguliers, irréguliers et corps ronds... par L. Dupin Ing.eur' (Stereometric Geometry or the disassembly of the cube into regular and irregular polyhedrons and cylinders... by L. Dupin, Inventor). 463 grams total, 23.3 x 12.3 x 6.7 cm (case)



Private American collection, New York, USA. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12065-211002.

The box contains an educational set of geometric shapes comprising 120 individual three-dimensional cardboard pieces with printed names and numbers corresponding to the key, arranged in various smaller interlocking configurations. The producer, Louis Dupin de la Guérinière, was a French civil engineer who began to produce and sell folded models to show the physical properties of polyhedrons. His models were intended not only as educational aids for students of mathematics, but also for those whose work involved perspective drawing, stone-cutting and mineralogy. The sets began production in the 1840s and were a popular study-aid. The present example has an adhesive label in the lid naming the supplier as Crosti of Rue Ste. Catherine, Bordeaux, France.

Comprising six cut halves, polished to show grey and white banding. 1.32 kg total, 70-80 mm



Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's).