UNIQUE FOSSIL FISH CIGAR-BOX. ...

Description

UNIQUE FOSSIL FISH CIGAR-BOX
Priscacara liops
Eocene
Green River Formation, Wyoming, USA
Mounted on the lid of this exquisitely crafted wooden box is a fine example of that familiar Green River inhabitant, the P. liops, a species of extinct perch. Beautifully prepared, as one would expect from a fossil from this location, it is presented on an irregularly-shaped slab of the natural limestone matrix mounted in resin and surrounded by three pieces of Indiana walnut, cross-cut through the branch section the better to highlight the beautiful and natural gradations of color, fine grain and growth rings. The lid is further enlivened by the inclusion of two small pieces of Arizona turquoise set into the resin. The body of the box is fashioned mostly from the same wood, but with a face made from Mexican cocobolo topped with a contrasting strip of pale spalted maple from Indiana. The underside bears hand-written information on the materials used, signed by the maker Stephen Rapp, and dated September 2008. The fossil specimen is 5½ inches long, and the box measures 16 3/8 x 6¼ x 4 1/8 inches.

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