The main mass of the Djati-Pengilon meteorite is a national treasure and, fittingly, a centerpiece of the Indonesia’s National Geological Museum in Bandong. Unlike the relative ease of finding meteorites in the world’s great deserts, Indonesia’s dense ground cover makes the recovery of meteorites a challenging affair — which explains why 85% of Indonesian meteorites are observed falls.

Following the typically attendant sonic phenomena, at 4:30 in the afternoon on March 19, 1884 witnesses saw a rock drop from the sky into the Alastoeva River from where it was quickly recovered. It was not easy — the single stone weighed 166 kilograms, which makes Djati-Pengilon the most massive H6 meteorite on record.

With a pearly luster, cool ebony matrix and endless tiny grains of iron-nickel, this is a fine partial slice with one edge of fusion crust. An ethereal thread of iron-nickel winds through this shark fin-shaped partial slice.

It is nearly unthinkable to be able to acquire a specimen of a museum centerpiece — let alone a meteorite that fell into a body of water — and Djati-Pengilon, featuring both of these attributes, is the sole exception.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.


157 x 155 x 4mm (6 x 6 x 0.1 in.) and 327.1g (0.75 lbs)