Natural History

Plaque of Giant Scallop Fossil Shells

Early Miocene, Burdigalian (approx. 20 - 16 million years ago), Lacoste Quarry, Vaucluse, France

Auction Closed

July 26, 08:15 PM GMT

Estimate

2,500 - 3,500 USD

Lot Details

Description

Plaque of Giant Scallop Fossil Shells

Gigantopecten restitutensis

Early Miocene, Burdigalian (approx. 20 - 16 million years ago)

Lacoste Quarry, Vaucluse, France

21¾ x 15 x 4½ inches (55.2 x 38.1 x 11.4 cm), on custom wood base. 33 pounds (15.0 kg).

Multiple Gigantopecten specimens attached to and fanning up and out from one another. The wide radial ribs on its thick shell distinguishes this extinct type of scallop or pectan. The specimens in this limestone matrix display are well-preserved intact shells with both halves mostly articulated.

Gigantopecten restitutensis — also known as a Saint-Jacques shell — is a species of scallop that thrived all over the world during the Early Miocene, from approximately 20 million to 16 million years ago.

Like today's extant scallops, Gigantopecten restitutensis was a saltwater mollusk that lived on the sea floor, filtering and eating plankton. These bivalves had relatively large shells, growing to heights of over 5 inches (13 cm) with widths topping 6 inches (15 cm). Because of the considerable size and fragility of Gigantopecten fossils, their removal from the surrounding rock matrix represents excavation and preparatory work of the highest caliber, with the elegantly sculptural plate offered here being a prime example.