A Partial Slice of the Famous Ensisheim Meteorite
FELL TO EARTH IN ALSACE, FRANCE, 1492; MODERN CUTTING
Price Realised USD 5,625
Estimate
USD 2,500 - USD 3,500
Estimates do not reflect the final hammer price and do not include buyer's premium, any applicable taxes or artist's resale right. Please see the Conditions of Sale for full details.
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A Partial Slice of the Famous Ensisheim Meteorite
FELL TO EARTH IN ALSACE, FRANCE, 1492; MODERN CUTTING
Price Realised USD 5,625
Price Realised USD 5,625
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Lot Essay
"Truly, after four hundred, one thousand
And ninety-two years, as the sun follows its course,
On the seventh day before the fearful Ides of November
As the sun approached the meridian,
There came a horrendous explosion; a thunderbolt clanging in the air
Multisounding: and there fell a burning stone
Shaped like a Grecian Delta; triangular with three sharp corners,
Singed and earthy and metalliferous.
It fell obliquely through the air
As though hurled from a star like Saturn.
Ensisheim felt the force of it; all Sauntgaudia felt it,
As it plunged into a field and devastated the ground."
Sebastian Brant, 1492
Ensisheim long reigned as the oldest preserved meteorite fall in the world. The meteorite landed in a wheat field in Alsace, France on 16 November 1492, exactly five weeks after Columbus first landed in the West Indies. The Ensisheim fireball created much commotion generating sonic booms in the atmosphere that were heard for miles. Austria’s Emperor Maximillian is said to have interpreted the Ensisheim event as a divine sign to declare war on France and officials had the mysterious stone kept in a local church, caged and tethered to a chain, ostensibly to prevent it from departing in the same way it had arrived. Ensisheim is the oldest preserved meteorite in Europe.
Click here to learn more about the science and history of meteorites.
And ninety-two years, as the sun follows its course,
On the seventh day before the fearful Ides of November
As the sun approached the meridian,
There came a horrendous explosion; a thunderbolt clanging in the air
Multisounding: and there fell a burning stone
Shaped like a Grecian Delta; triangular with three sharp corners,
Singed and earthy and metalliferous.
It fell obliquely through the air
As though hurled from a star like Saturn.
Ensisheim felt the force of it; all Sauntgaudia felt it,
As it plunged into a field and devastated the ground."
Sebastian Brant, 1492
Ensisheim long reigned as the oldest preserved meteorite fall in the world. The meteorite landed in a wheat field in Alsace, France on 16 November 1492, exactly five weeks after Columbus first landed in the West Indies. The Ensisheim fireball created much commotion generating sonic booms in the atmosphere that were heard for miles. Austria’s Emperor Maximillian is said to have interpreted the Ensisheim event as a divine sign to declare war on France and officials had the mysterious stone kept in a local church, caged and tethered to a chain, ostensibly to prevent it from departing in the same way it had arrived. Ensisheim is the oldest preserved meteorite in Europe.
Click here to learn more about the science and history of meteorites.
Lot 16
Sale 10887
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FELL TO EARTH IN ALSACE, FRANCE, 1492; MODERN CUTTING
A Partial Slice of the Famous Ensisheim Meteorite
Estimate: USD 2,500 - 3,500
Bid amount
Buyer's premium
Estimated total cost exclusive of duties