Iron, ataxite (ungrouped) Ryazan district, Russia (54°44' N, 41°25' E)

Price Realised GBP 52,500

Estimate

GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000

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A MASSIVE DRONINO METEORITE

Iron, ataxite (ungrouped) Ryazan district, Russia (54°44' N, 41°25' E)

Price Realised GBP 52,500

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

This imposing meteorite features furrowed textures, and a complex topology of deep grooves and crevices terminating in two peaks evoking cresting waves. This rich texture, as well as the meteorite’s distinctive morphology, are the result of terrestrialization (exposure to Earth’s elements) and the atypical nickel-rich composition of the meteorite. A pewter to platinum patina envelops the meteorite’s surface. The meteorite stands on a base of polished black stone.
16¹⁄₂ x 14 x 8in. (42 x 35.5 x 20.5cm.)
73.5kg

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.
These lots have been imported from outside the EU or, if the UK has withdrawn from the EU without an agreed transition deal, from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

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Brought to you by

James Hyslop

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Lot Essay

Named after the small Russian town situated close to its discovery site, Dronino meteorites are iron-rich meteorites boasting an exotic chemical composition. Whereas 89% of iron meteorites can be categorized within an established chemical group, the present specimens are not related to any of these groups. This curious material makeup suggests that they originated from a much larger parent asteroid that remains unknown.
The eponymous meteorites fell to earth approximately 20 kilometers from Dronino, yet there is no written account of what must have been an extraordinary and memorable occurrence – a fireball leaving sonic booms and smoke trails in its wake. The absence of recorded evidence indicates that the meteorites struck sometime before the nearby town’s foundation in the mid-12th century A.D. Given the extent of terrestrial sculpting to such specimens, a descent to Earth more than a millennium ago can be confidently fixed. The arresting visual appearance and furrowed texture are the result of sulfide inclusions within the meteorites.
The first Dronino meteorite was discovered in the summer of 2000 by Oleg Gus’kov, a local mushroom collector. After the specimen was declared meteoritic in 2003, collectors and scientific expeditions found a further 600 fragments weighing 3 tonnes in total. With no two examples exactly the same, Dronino meteorites are highly sought after for their diverse and highly decorative forms.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
‘The Meteoritical Bulletin, No.88, 2004 July’, , Vol.39, No.8, Supplement (2004), p.A219.

This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the . VAT at 20% will be added to the but will not be shown separately on the invoice. Please see the Conditions of Sale for further information.