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

Details

DRONINO — EXTRATERRESTRIAL MINIMALIST SCULPTURAL FORM
Iron, ataxite (ungrouped)
Ryazan district, Russia (54° 44' N, 41° 25' E)
Accompanied by a custom armature, this is a most uncommon meteorite.
189 x 158 x 57mm (7½ x 6¼ x 2¼in.)
5.75kg (12.6lbs)

Literature

Oshtrakh, M., Milder, O., Grokhovsky, V. & Semionkin, V. (2004), “Hyperfine Interactions in Iron Meteorites: Comparative Study by Mossbauer Spectroscopy.” Hyperfine Interactions, 158(1-4), 365-370

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Lot Essay

Similar to the previous lot, Dronino is an ungrouped iron meteorite. There is no meteorite that is chemically similar to Dronino, which implies it originated from a previously unknown parent asteroid. This is an unusual specimen as it regards its geometric simplicity. Earth’s elements interacted with the meteorite for more than 1000 years, resulting in this minimalist form of two distinct richly textured slopes.

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