Most iron meteorites, including this singular example, originated from the cores of asteroids that existed billions of years ago between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Thousands of years ago a mass which had been deflected out of the asteroid belt slammed into Earth's upper atmosphere and exploded above the edge of the Kalahari Desert before raining down on what is now Namibia. Although the overwhelming majority of iron-meteorites are nondescript prosaic masses, the specimen now offered is a distinguished exception.

Its shape is largely the result of the process of terrestrialization (i.e., the exposure to Earth’s elements such as weather, water, soil acidity, etc.) This meteorite’s morphology is also the product of the timing of its discovery and excavation. After having been on Earth for tens of thousands of years, this particular Gibeon was recovered by indigenous tribesmen in 1990 with the aid of a metal detector.

The vast majority of iron meteorites are highly prosaic. Not this. A deep scoop and delimiting ridge sit at the meteorite’s apex which naturally tips off-center providing an asymmetric balance. The highly textured but smooth surface is blanketed in a gun-metal patina with chrome highlights. This tabletop meteorite can be oriented in a variety of ways and will forever be the quintessence of an aesthetic Gibeon meteorite.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.
181 x 169 x 229mm (7 x 6.66 x 9 in.) and 16.73 kilograms (36.75 lbs)

Macovich Collection of Meteorites, NYC