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Lot 8034

Triple Crinoid Plaque

4 December 2005, 11:00 PST
Los Angeles

US$50,000 - US$65,000

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Triple Crinoid Plaque

Seirocrinus subangularis
Lower Jurassic
Holzmaden, Germany

Known as a crinoid, or “sea lily,” Seirocrinus was, in fact, an animal. Its plant-like morphology evolved to feed on plankton from its marine environment, reaching downward into the water from a floating piece of driftwood on which it attached itself. Due to its rarity and aesthetically appealing quality, the crinoid is among the most sought-after fossils of the famous Holzmaden quarries. Crinoids belong to the echinoderm group, which includes starfish, sand dollars and sea urchins. The present display of three specimens, sinuously intertwined, exhibits extraordinarily well-preserved detail in the calyxes and in the intact “stems.” The darker structure in the lower portion is a fossilized piece of driftwood, which would have floated on the surface of the sea, carrying its living “cargo” with the currents. A beautiful iron pyrite replacement, producing a sparkling sheen, enhances the beauty of this piece. Matrix measures 62 ¼ x 45 6/8in

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