Polished green malachite (21.4kg) on metal base
PUMI2361
This Malachite block comes from Congo, Katanga province. It is always difficult to detach a block of this size from the gangue, and then polish it, without breaking it... It has been polished to reveal the multitude of shades of green it contains, as this nipple shape (botryoidal) shows the concentric circles that are successive layers of deposition. Since ancient times, malachite has been used as a pigment in painting for its light and luminous blue-green tones, especially in icon painting. Pline first quotes it in 77 AD. JC.
This unique piece has been sold...
