FONTAINEBLEAU, FRANCE

Name: A GOGOTTE FORMATION
Brand: FONTAINEBLEAU, FRANCE
Price: 4800.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 6,000

Estimate

GBP 2,500 - GBP 3,500

Closed: 28 Oct 2020

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A GOGOTTE FORMATION

FONTAINEBLEAU, FRANCE

Price Realised GBP 6,000

Closed: 28 Oct 2020

Price Realised GBP 6,000

Closed: 28 Oct 2020

Details Lot Essay More from

Of natural form, from the Oligocene (circa 30 million years ago), the layers of concretions creating a sweeping form in the shape of a capital G, around a lower surface itself with small depressions and a striking hemispherical protrustion, supported on stand.

17 x 8¹⁄₂ x 7¹⁄₂in. (43 x 21.5 x 19cm.)

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.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

Conditions of Sale
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This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

James Hyslop

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

jhyslop@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3205

Lot Essay

Gogottes are beautiful and beguiling mineral formations. Once thought to have been composed from chalk, they are actually the rare and entirely natural result of calcium carbonate binding with extremely fine quartz grains. Each sculptural layer is a unique composition from the mineral-rich waters of Fontainebleau, northern France, with the shapes evoking clouds and tangible representations of dreamlike imagery. The mineralization process takes place over the course of approximately 30 million years, with every formation a uniquely shaped wonder. As a prime example of the blend between nature and art, gogottes can be appreciated as sandstone variants of the Gongshi (scholar’s rocks) tradition.
These sandstone concretions boast an international popularity and an acclaimed reputation spanning centuries. As early as the late seventeenth century for example, gogottes were lauded for their aesthetic by the highest echelons of French nobility. Louis XIV “the Sun King” of France (r. 1643-1715) was so enamored by these formations that he ordered extensive excavations around Fontainebleau, in order to decorate his palace gardens. Gogottes still adorn L’Encelade, Les Trois Fontaines, and La Salle de Bal at Versailles, and continue to enchant and delight visitors as they have for over 300 years.
It is perhaps unsurprising that gogottes served as inspiration for artists well into the 20th century. As dynamic snapshots of elemental metamorphosis, they were particularly well received by impressionist and surrealist sculptors. In particular, the recumbent figures by Henry Moore, and white marble compositions by Jean Arp (S’accroupissant, 1960-1962) and Louise Bourgeois (Cumul I, 1969) all evoke the arresting and unpredictable formations of gogottes. More recently, a large specimen was gifted to London’s Natural History Museum, in honour of naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough’s 90th birthday. Large intact sandstone concretions are uncommon, and rarer still are examples with fine, unblemished and milky-white surface.