Gogotte Mineral Formation. Oligocene Period, Fontainebleau, France.

A charming Gogotte mineral formation.

Oligocene period, Fontainebleau, France.

Mounted on a metal display mount.

The gogotte measures 25 x 20 x 14cm.

Including the stand it measures 30cm high.

Gogottes are beautiful and beguiling mineral formations. Once thought to have been composed from chalk, they are actually the rare and entirely natural result of calcium carbonate binding with extremely fine quartz grains.

Gogottes were displayed at the chateau of Fontainebleau and were collected by King Louis XIV (1638 -1715). They were used to decorate the formal gardens of the royal residence at Versailles, especially l’Encelade, Les Trois Fontaines and La Salle de Bal. 

The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present.