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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Ethnographic / Agata e Quarzo di Marovato – Madagascar Green Calcedonio...
Elegant free-form carved and polished from a single natural block of agate and quartz from the Marovato area, along the northwest coast of Madagascar. The processing follows the stone’s original profile, transforming it into a vertical, compact, and harmonious form, characterized by a gently rounded summit and a flat base that allows display without supports. The dominant element is a large concentric formation in yellow ochre, honey, and golden-brown tones, enclosed within a mass of quartz and chalcedony that is partially translucent. Observed from the front, this structure creates the impression of a core suspended within the stone, surrounded by a succession of thin irregular bands that trace its contour. Its elongated and asymmetrical shape recalls a drop, a seed, or the profile of an island seen from above. The central part presents warm and compact tones, pierced by delicate variations of cream, yellow, and reddish-brown. Moving toward the exterior, the color gradually dissolves into lighter and more transparent zones, rich in tiny inclusions, veils, and internal crystallizations. Some surfaces show a delicate granular texture which, under light, produces a multitude of small reflections. Along the outer edge emerges a dark green band, more intense on one side and near the summit. This natural frame contrasts with the golden core and with the translucent areas of quartz, defining the piece’s profile and giving it notable visual depth. Rotating the stone, the central formation progressively changes in appearance: on one side it appears darker and more compact, while on the opposite side it becomes lighter, broader, and clearly delineated. Agate is a variety of chalcedony formed through the progressive deposition of silica within cavities and fractures of the rock. Different growth phases produced the concentric bands, while the presence of iron compounds gave the yellow, ochre, and brown tones. In the more open portions of the cavity, the silica had space to develop into more transparent and locally crystalline quartz. The polishing allows light to penetrate the superficial layers, highlighting overlays, inclusions, and color transitions that would remain hidden in the raw material. Each angle offers a different reading of the internal structure and reveals the three-dimensional continuity of the bands within the block. An essential and evocative free form, in which the golden core seems guarded by a translucent quartz envelope and by a thin green frame. An authentic mineral landscape, shaped by the slow deposition of silica and made fully visible by the workmanship.
Estimate:$246.49
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Hammer price:
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Estimate:
$246.49
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OCT 17 | 10:00 PM
