Gogotte Formation

A gogotte is a millions-of-years old, naturally-shaped sandstone concretion, consisting of tiny quartz fragments held together by calcium carbonate. The finest specimens are found in Fontainebleau, France, renowned for its extremely fine-grained, porcelain-like sands. Each one of these natural mineralogical works of art takes on a unique form, often evoking clouds, whirlwinds, animals, or ghosts. The current example, nicknamed "The Wave," resembles the rippling crest of a wave as it is about to break.

Gogottes were a great inspiration to the Surrealists, as well as Louise Bourgeois and Henry Moore, and have captured the imagination of some of the most powerful aristocrats in Europe. Louis XIV, the "Sun King,” was so seduced by them that he had numerous specimens excavated to decorate the gardens at the Palace of Versailles, and a great number of the ornately rounded formations could be found surrounding the mysterious Grove of the Three Fountains, built by French landscape architect André Le Nôtre in 1677. Destroyed during the time of Louis XVI, the Grove was reconstructed in 2004, with the gogottes appearing in all their natural glory, thanks to the patronage of the Société des Amis de Versailles and The American Friends of Versailles. A particularly well-preserved example of a sandstone concretion is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and more recently, a particularly fine gogotte was donated to London's Natural History Museum to honor the 90th birthday of beloved naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough.