With its shallow depth and expansive surface area, this is an exceedingly uncommon meteorite presentation. Like the vast majority of iron meteorites, Gibeon meteorites originated 4.5 billion years ago from the molten core of an asteroid between Jupiter and Mars. The core material was liberated following the shattering of the Gibeon parent body. Most of the fragmented remains are in the asteroid belt, but a few of these fragments traveled through interplanetary space for millions of years and were slowly perturbed into an Earth-crossing orbit. Thousands of years ago one of these metal masses slammed into Earth’s upper atmosphere where it broke up and rained down on what is now the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. In previous generations, indigenous tribesmen recovered small meteoritic shards at or near the surface and fashioned them into spear points and other tools. The specimen now offered was recovered with the aid of a metal detector — and unlike most meteorites, this is an exceptional example.

Surrounded by an animated surface featuring a wealth of ridges and crests, a single deep scoop provides asymmetric balance. There had previously been a more modest scoop, but during the course of the meteorite’s earthly residence in the Kalahari, the shallow bowl slowly became larger as seasonal moisture collected over thousands of years. Additional variables that affected this meteorite’s shape include its own composition, the soil chemistry where it landed, and its orientation in the ground. The timing of its excavation is also a factor.

Typically a meteorite of this height and width would weigh many times more than the current example. If this meteorite were cut it would reveal a gleaming octahedral crystalline pattern, but unlike the prosaic shapes of most iron meteorites, this singularly aesthetic specimen should never be cut. Draped in a patina of silver to platinum hues and hewn by monumental forces in space and weathering processes on Earth, this is the quintessence of a sculptural meteorite which is destined to be a conversation piece wherever it lands next. Accompanied by a custom armature.

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.
460 x 445 x 63mm (18 x 17.5 x 2.5 in.) and 44.12 kilograms (97 lbs)

Macovich Collection of Meteorites, New York City