Natural History - Polished Mineral Specimen Group

A substantial, naturally formed grey limestone gogotte. 975 grams, 14.2 cm



Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK

Gogottes were displayed at the chateau of Fontainebleau, France, collected by King Louis XIV (1638 -1715). They were used to decorate the formal gardens of the royal residence at Versailles, especially l’Encelade, Les Trois Fontaines and La Salle de Bal. Elsewhere, they were treasured in Song Dynasty China (960-1127 A.D.) In the 20th century, natural forms inspired the sculptor Henry Moore and others.

A fossil coelacanth Whiteia woodwardia fish showing good details, including fins, tail and bony skull structure; supplied in a glazed display case. 118 grams, 15.8 cm (280 grams total, 16 x 13.5 cm including case)

Fine condition, professionally repaired and conserved.

From the Karoo formation of Madagascar. Private Shropshire, UK, collection.

The primitive-looking coelacanth was thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Its discovery in 1938, by a South African museum curator on a local fishing trawler, fascinated the world and ignited a debate about how this bizarre lobe-finned fish fits into the evolution of land animals. It is often referred to as a ‘living fossil’, referencing its anomalous form in the fossil record.

A string of Mammuthus primigenius woolly mammoth bone beads. 115 grams, 70 cm long



From an old Lincoln, UK, collection.