GEO12210506
Large Sea Lily Plaque
Scyphocrinus elegans
Tafilalet, southernmost Morocco
Silurian and Devonian, approx. 400 million years old
30 x 41 inches
Numerous crinoids, commonly known as sea lilies, form an aesthetically appealing, highly textured display piece. Though their appearance is plant-like, these creatures were, in fact, animals that used their flower-like calyxes to filter food from their marine envirnoment.
$11,000

GDS110115
Devonian Sea Lilly Colony
Scyphocrinus elegans
Morocco
Silurian - Devonian
56 x 60 inches
An ancient colony of Sea-Lilies is preserved on 420 million year old seafloor sediments from North Africa.
$18,000

SL12010
Sea Lily
Crinoidea
Posidonienschiefer Formation, Holzmaden, Germany
Lower Jurassic, 175 Million Years
62 x 38in irregular, specimen length 67in
The Sea Lily, also known as the Crinoid or Feather Star, is one of the world's "living fossils". It is an Echinoderm (Phylum Echinodermata) belonging to the Crinoidea class. Among this marine animal’s distant relatives are the Starfish, Brittle Star and Sea Urchin.
Sea Lily fossils are found all over the world, but the most beautiful and desirable ones like this are from the Poseidon shale and oil slate beds of Holzmaden in southern Germany. The strong dark color of the matrix serves as a beautiful background to the delicate serpentine neck and flower of the fossil that shimmers with pyritization. The matrix itself is a work of art, prepared and polished into relief contours to accentuate the three-dimensional detail of the fossil.
Adding yet further interest to this fossil, the Sea Lily is anchored to a piece of driftwood. Some species did not root themselves to the ocean floor, but instead drifted in colonies through the waters attached to floating debris. To top it off, two smaller members of this driftwood colony also feature on this remarkable fossil.
This fossil is both an outstanding museum-quality specimen and a work of art. The irregularly-shaped matrix measures 62 x 38 inches and the Sea Lily itself is uncommonly large measuring 67 inches in length along its curvaceous stem.
$85,000

CRP05192010
Large Moroccan Crinoid Plaque
Scyphocrinus elegans
Morocco
Silurian and Devonian
Measures 50 x 64in
Popularly known as sea lilies due to their plant-like appearance, crinoids are marine invertebrates that evolved flower-like calyxes in order to sift plankton from seawater for feeding. Unlike most species of crinoids, Scyphocrinus elegans evolved a ball-like structure, or lobolith, which acted as a buoy, allowing the creature to float and drift rather than requiring a root attachment. In the present offering, a richly textural, large, art-like presentation of numerous sea lily specimens rests within the rust-toned matrix of the locality, its beautiful color derived from the presence of iron oxide in the matrix. Measures 50in x 64in
$10,000