Multi-Fish Mural — A Triptych Display
Auction Closed
July 28, 03:27 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Multi-Fish Mural — A Triptych Display
Diplomystus dentatus, Knightia eocaena, Cockerellites liops, Mioplosus labracoides
Early Eocene (approx. 50 million years ago)
Green River Formation, Fossil Lake Member, Green River Stone Quarry, Wyoming
Panels measure 48 by 24 inches (122 x 61 cm) each, together 48 by 72 inches (122 x 182.9 cm). 56 pounds (25.4 kg) together.
Three separate fossil fish mosaic murals assembled on a large natural slab of tan and gray Green River limestone matrix. Largest fish (Diplomystus dentatus) measures 17¾ inches (45.1 cm). Each mural is backed in wood with finished beveled edges. A two-part aluminum, French cleat has been added to verso for hanging.
50 million years ago, Wyoming's Green River Formation was comprised of 25,000 square miles (40,000 km) of interconnected subtropical lakes. Today the area is known as the "Fossil Lake", boasting some of the most abundant and well-preserved freshwater fossils anywhere in the world.
Highlights of this three panel fossil mural include the large surface-feeder, Diplomystus dentatus, characterized by its distinctive upturned mouth bristling with teeth, and Knightia eocaena, an extinct relative of today's herring and sardines. Also featured is the temperate bass, Cockerellites liops, and the pointed-teeth, predatory percid, Mioplosus labracoides.
This fish quartet—nestled together on a natural rock matrix triptych—capture a beautiful snapshot of an ancient American ecosystem.