Description:

North America, Wyoming, Green River Formation, Eocene Period, ca. 53.5 to 48.5 million years ago. A stone matrix containing fossilized palm fronds inlaid with a prehistoric fish, Priscacara. The placement of the fish is perfect and gives the appearance of an aquarium scene! Priscacara or nicknamed "Prisky" is known for its sunfish-like body with prominent dorsal and anal spines that are on full display in this specimen! The body of the fish is excavated and slightly recessed in the surface. The stone is meticulously prepared with a wood panel backing and metal hardware for mounting on a wall! Size: 19" L x 1.25" W x 23" H (48.3 cm x 3.2 cm x 58.4 cm)

The sediment from the Green River Formation was deposited over a 5-million-year span, the layers of flora and fauna may not have fossilized at the same time - but make for interesting composites. The Eocene world was the warmest of the Cenozoic (our current era), with an average mean temperature around 86 F (30 C) (for comparison, the average mean temperature in the last seventy years is around 58 F (14 C). Although the map of the Earth's surface would have been very recognizable to us today, with most of the continents in place and India moving close to its current position, there were basically no ice caps and huge swaths of the landscape were covered with water, including vast inland seas. This impressive aquarium like arrangement creates a rare scene from a prehistoric environment that was drastically different than what the semi-arid Wyoming landscape of today!

Provenance: Private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection

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#184219

  • Condition: Professionally prepared, fish is inlaid into the surface. Mounted on a wooden board backing. Great preservation to fish and palm. Comes with metal hardware for mounting on a wall.

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March 8, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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