Antiques M.S. Rau | Fossiliferous Crinoid Marble Sculpture Of Wild Horses

This Impressive And Unique Sculpture Transforms A Highly Rare Fossiliferous Crinoid Marble Specimen Into A Stunning Sculpted Herd Of Wild Horses. Crafted In The 20Th Century, The Remarkable Work Features A Cacophony Of Equine Animals Teeming With Energy, Bursting From The Marble Form And Moving Onward. The Copious Litany Of Horses Compound To Form A Somewhat Organic, Natural Shape And The Figural Structure Begins To Veer Into Abstraction, Showcasing The Artistry And Inspired Point-Of-View Of The Sculptor. Although The Sculptor Is Unknown, It Was Originally Acquired Near Venice, Italy In The Late 20Th Century For A Substantial Sum.

The Elegant Sculpture Is Carved From A Museum-Quality Specimen Of Fossiliferous Crinoid Marble. Crinoid Marble Is A Form Of Sedimentary Rock Containing Fossils That Have Marbleized Over Time. Crinoids Are Marine Animals That Flourished In The Palaeozoic And Mesozoic Eras. They Are An Ancient Fossil Group That First Appeared In The Seas Of The Mid-Cambrian Period, About 300 Million Years Before Dinosaurs. These Little Creatures Would Have Littered The Prehistoric Ocean Floor. In Specimens Such As These, Thousands Of Fossilized Crinoids Appear Within The Marbleized Gray Stone, Creating A Wonderfully Abstract Pattern With Their Organic Shell-Like Forms. A Fossiliferous Crinoid Marble Specimen Of This Size With This Level Of Articulated Detail Is Truly Extraordinary.

While This Incredible Marble Sculpture Has Been Forged At The Hands Of A Skilled Artist, The Free-Flowing Naturalistic Form Of The Marble Recalls Some Of The Aesthetics Of Chinese Lingbi Stones. These Are Natural Specimens Shaped By The Elements Into Robust, Craggy Forms. In Ancient China, These Marvelously Strange And Unique Stones Held Great Worth Due To Their Exquisite Beauty And Their Ability To Embody The Profound Structures That Lay Beneath The Fabric Of The Universe. Though The Horses Were Sculpted In The 20Th Century, The Fossiliferous Crinoid Marble Is An Ancient Wonder. A Combination Of Ancient And Modern Aesthetics, This Polished Sculpture Is A Dazzling And Rare Work Of Art.

20Th Century

19″ High By 39″ Wide By 20″ Deep