A naturally formed sandstone concretion from Fontainebleau, France, composed of exceptionally fine quartz sand cemented by silica. Mounted on a metal base; 63 × 85 × 25 cm (24 3/4 × 33 1/2 × 9 7/8 in.); 70 kg. Ancient History is a monumental example of the sandstone concretions known as Gogottes, found within the exceptionally pure sands of the Fontainebleau region in northern France. These sands were deposited during the Oligocene Period, approximately 30 million years ago, although the process through which they became cemented into sculptural formations occurred considerably later, during successive Quaternary glacial periods. Extending across an expansive horizontal format, the formation comprises an intricate succession of rounded projections, folded layers and deeply recessed cavities. Its irregular contours create a shifting relationship between solid mass and open space, while the pale, finely granular surface unifies the complex arrangement. The title Ancient History evokes both the formation’s geological origins and its resemblance to a fragment shaped and weathered over an immense expanse of time. Gogottes developed as silica-rich groundwater circulated through the Fontainebleau sands. Dissolved silica precipitated between the exceptionally fine quartz grains, binding them together through a gradual and discontinuous process. Variations in the movement of water and the intermittent deposition of silica produced the ridges, cavities and flowing outlines characteristic of these formations. Although its surface resembles modelled clay or carved stone, Ancient History is entirely unworked. Fontainebleau sandstone formations have been admired as natural curiosities since at least the seventeenth century and were incorporated into several of the gardens at Versailles under Louis XIV. Their biomorphic forms have subsequently invited comparison with the sculpture of Jean Arp, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Distinguished by its scale and complex silhouette, Ancient History occupies a compelling position between geological specimen and abstract sculpture.