Gogottes are formed from quartz crystals and calcium carbonate. The gogotte is naturally produced when superheated water extrudes through crevices into a basin of extremely fine white silica sand. The silica then cements the sand together to form the gogotte’s fluid lines, creating natural sculptures. They are found in only one place in the world; Fontainebleau, France.

Gogottes were a great inspiration to the Surrealists, as well as Louise Bourgeois and Henry Moore, and also captured the imaginations of some of the most powerful aristocrats in Europe. Louis XIV was so seduced by them that he had multiple specimens in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles, and a great number of the ornately rounded, scrolling formations can still be found surrounding the mysterious grove of the Three Fountains designed by Le Nôtre in 1677.

In 2018, a 60cm high gogotte formation hammered for £55,000 breaking the record for the most expensive gogotte sold at auction, more than tripling its pre-auction estimate of £15,000 to £25,000. The lot was part of a collection of 7 gogottes, all of which overtook their pre-auction estimates.