MASSIVE SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — NATURAL SCULPTURE FROM INTERPLANETARY SPACE & FROM THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWER SINCE THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION - photo 1
MASSIVE SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — NATURAL SCULPTURE FROM INTERPLANETARY SPACE & FROM THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWER SINCE THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION - photo 2

MASSIVE SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — NATURAL SCULPTURE FROM INTERPLANETARY SPACE & FROM THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWER SINCE THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION

Lot 34
25.08.2020 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 17 500
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 389977
Lot 34 | MASSIVE SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — NATURAL SCULPTURE FROM INTERPLANETARY SPACE & FROM THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWER SINCE THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION
Estimate value
$ 20 000 – 30 000
Lot Description:
Wrapped in a charcoal-hued patina with chrome highlights the natural surface texture in evidence is the result of the cataclysmic low-altitude explosion in which this meteorite was shorn apart from a along crystalline planes clearly in evidence. Composed of approximately 93% iron and 6% nickel and a variety of trace elements, this angular specimen originated from the core of an asteroid. Smooth striations embellish the irregular crystalline grains which provide an abstract surface texture. Aerodynamic features on one face of this meteorite indicate that it was at the surface of the parent body as it penetrated Earth’s atmosphere. A prominent gash penetrates the center of the mass providing animation to the form and is testament to the massive force of the explosion from which it originates. Evoking the surface character of a de Kooning sculpture, this otherworldly conversation piece is a select meteorite from the largest meteorite shower to occur since the dawn of civilization.
152 x 252 x 129mm (6 x 10 x 5 in.)
8.119kg (17.75 lbs)

Provenance: Macovich Collection of Meteorites, New York City

After breaking off its parent asteroid between Mars and Jupiter 320 million years ago, a massive iron mass wandered through interplanetary space until Earth was encountered on February 12, 1947. An enormous fireball streaked across the Sikhote Alin Mountains in eastern Siberia. The main mass exploded at an altitude of just 6 km above Earth’s surface. Sonic booms were heard at distances up to 300 km from the point of impact. Chimneys collapsed, windows shattered and trees were uprooted. A 33-km-long smoke trail persisted for several hours. Iron fragments were scattered over a broad elliptical area. Many of the meteorites penetrated the soil, producing impact craters up to 26 meters across and approximately 200 such depressions have been catalogued. A famous painting of the event by artist and eye-witness P. I. Medvedev was reproduced as a postage stamp issued by the Soviet government in 1957 to commemorate what many witnesses thought was the end of the world. There are two types of Sikhote-Alin meteorites: jagged and twisted specimens that resulted from the aforementioned low-altitude explosion of the main mass, and smooth gently scalloped specimens that broke free of the main mass at a much higher altitude which provided the opportunity to experience sculptural frictional heating in the atmosphere resulting in the formation of the aerodynamic thumbprints known as “regmaglypts” (see lot 11). This is a massive, superlative example of the jagged variety — an extraordinary artifact that is 4.5 billions years old and from the largest meteorite shower of the modern era.


Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.


Medium:Iron
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
12.08.2020 – 25.08.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>