Ammonite Shell

Ammonite species number in the hundreds with more discovered all the time. In the Mesozoic seas, they were incredibly common and are used by geologists as an index fossil. Just like the living cephalopods, ammonites existed in an incredible range of size and shell shapes. Some had streamlined narrow shells that allowed rapid movements through the water, some had shells that seem to indicate more of a planktonic existence while some species possessed massive shells indicating a possible benthic existence. Little is known about their bodies.  

In this sculpture, “Ammonite Shell” I used the shell from my sculpture “Ammonites of the Mesozoic” to create a smaller, stand alone piece. Surface textures of ammonite shells and the suture patterns that exist in the shell come in countless variations. The ripples on the surface of this sculpture and the coiling of the shell are based on fossils from the collection of the Cincinnati Museum Center. This sculpture features a bronze ammonite shell mounted on polished alabaster or soapstone. The shell can be removed from the alabaster for closer observation and study. Alabaster and soapstone come in a variety of hues depending on which elements are present. Because of this, the bases for these pieces are all unique. The stone itself is quite beautiful with the bases becoming works of art in their own right. This sculpture will vary in weight and size with the variations in the stone base, however, the bronze itself is approximately 6” x 6” x 2” in size and weighs 5 pounds.