Sale NH0903 Lot 215

AUSTRALIAN CRINOID PLATE
Jimbocrinus bostocki
Permian
Northwest Basin, Australia
Crinoids are found all over the world, but the J. bostocki from Australia are immediately distinctive for their short, bulbous form. Water-dwelling plankton feeders, they flourished in the Permian Period, 300 million years ago, when the world consisted of a few small islands and the giant supercontinent Pangea. They were wiped out by the cataclysmic Permian-Triassic extinction event, the largest recorded in paleontology, which saw 70% of all terrestrial animals and 95% of all marine species disappear from the planet through the deaths of as many as 95% of all organisms. This plaque exhibits fine three dimensionality, bringing that ancient time back to life in the viewer's imagination; the three complete heads extrude dramatically from the matrix and their pale brown-orange coloring provides a fine aesthetic contrast with the natural sandstone measuring approximately 10 x 9 inches overall.
Estimate $1,200-1,500