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Large Sculptural Iron Meteorite
About the Item
Stony-iron, pallasite - PMG
Circa 4.5 Billion y/o
Weight: 34.68 kg
Height (including base): 53 cm
Width: 29 cm
A magnificent and extremely sculptural specimen of the Seymchan meteorite, recovered in the Russian Far East.
A striking extraterrestrial sculpture, preserving the patinated and partially melted exterior of the meteorite, together with the mesmerising pattern of iron-nickel crystals of the cut face interior.
The interior section of the present meteorite reveals the beautiful interlocking crystal structure of two nickel-iron alloys. Formed by the supercooling of the parent body from a molten state in the vacuum of space around 4.5 billion years ago, this mesmerising and reflective pattern is indicative of the meteorite’s extraterrestrial origin, as only in space can such a structure occur. Believed to have hailed from the asteroid belt between Mars
and Jupiter, and flung into space by an enormous impact, this extraordinary specimen would have travelled over 100 million miles before falling to Earth.
As it plunged through the Earth’s atmosphere at cosmic velocity, the surrounding air was heated to 1,700°C resulting in a fireball. The outer surface of the rock would have melted away, exposing a new surface also affected by the adverse temperatures. During this process, streaks of molten metal vaporised off the exterior, causing the scars and indentations now visible on the surface.
As fascinating messengers from space, meteorites are immensely important to scientific research today. Not only do they carry the building blocks of our solar system, but they have even changed the course of evolution itself. While advancing planetary science, meteorites are also imbued with an ethereal quality, deriving from their beauty and otherworldly origins. Formed over billions of years, and perfected by the intense heat of atmospheric entry, they are entirely natural sculptures, symbolic of the incredible forces of our universe.
Provenance:
Discovered in the Magadan District, Russia, 1967 (62° 54’ N, 152° 26’ E).
Literature:
Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 43, Moscow (1968)
Extraterrestrial, ArtAncient Ltd, 2022, p.47.
- Dimensions:Height: 20.87 in (53 cm)Diameter: 11.42 in (29 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:4.55 billion years before present
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1052243707592
About the Seller
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1stDibs seller since 2014
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LAPADA - The Association of Arts & Antiques DealersInternational Confederation of Art and Antique Dealers' AssociationsThe British Antique Dealers' Association
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