Details
The near-spherical form is a result of surface tension causing the silicate melt to minimize its shape, this dark natural glass is accented with archetypal contraction grooves and a finely dappled surface.
214 x 214 x 218in. (5.7 x 5.5 x 5.3cm.)
187g.
Special notice
This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.
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Lot Essay

The origin of such silicated glass formations was long considered a mystery. Today scientists agree these objects, whose name derives from the Greek tektos (“molten”), form when an asteroid impacts Earth. The extraordinary heat and pressure resulting from such a cataclysmic collision liquefies deposits of wind-blown terrestrial dust, portions of which are splashed into the upper atmosphere, and return to Earth as solidified glass. Tektites are named after the locality where they are found, hence: Australites, Indochinites, Philippinites, Moldavites, Libyan Desert Glass, etc. The greater the silica content contained in the splash, the lighter the color. Bicolite is a type of Philippinite, most often recovered by gold miners on Luzon, the largest and most populous island of the Philippines. In the seminal work “Philippine Tektites: Volume 1” by H.O. Beyer (1961), a local Tagalog custom is described, “It is generally believed that wherever a large tektite is found, sizeable gold nuggets will also occur. Furthermore, it is generally thought that the tektite has been responsible for the increase in size of the gold. Therefore, nearly every native miner in this district keeps a sizable tektite or two in his kitchen---usually over the fire-place---and when he brings home each day his little bag of gold dust, he puts it beside the tektite, in the fond belief that during the night the two will mate and the gold increase in size."

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