Taxidermy is the art of mounting or reproducing animals for display or study and in the past the word has been associated with large gloomy Victorian houses filled with stuffed animals.

However in recent years, taxidermy has emerged from the shadows as a collecting area in its own right and in the United Kingdom there are now dealers who deal only in taxidermy. In Victorian times, taxidermists performed a valuable service, bringing wildlife into homes and allowing the inhabitants to see real birds and mammals at close quarters. They could also create trophies to provide mementoes of a good day's fishing or hunting.

The value of taxidermy specimens is enhanced by the presence of an original label detailing when and where the specimen was obtained and by a trade label of the taxidermist, the most sought after being Rowland Ward of London.

In assessing a taxidermied specimen, the potential more...

11 items found:

These items have been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.

Six Royal Crown Derby figures, including the Tasmanian devil,…

Royal Crown Derby Australian Wildlife Figurines Set

Six Royal Crown Derby figures, including the Tasmanian devil, duck-billed platypus, echidna, wombat, and two kangaroos.

A collection of six Herend figures, two platypus, three…

Australian Wildlife Herend Figurine Collection

A collection of six Herend figures, two platypus, three cassowaries, and a koala.

Five Bohemia crystal wine glasses etched with Australian…

Australian Wildlife Etched Wine Glasses

Five Bohemia crystal wine glasses etched with Australian animals, including a koala, lyre bird, platypus, cockatoo, possum

A cased taxidermied platypus, signed: Pratt and sons 11 north…

Taxidermied Platypus by Pratt & Sons, Early 20th Century

A cased taxidermied platypus, signed: Pratt and sons 11 north street quadrant, English, early 20th century, 76 cm high, 56.5 cm wide

An Australian 49 pelt platypus skin rug. 132 x 155 cm. This rug…

Antique Platypus Skin Rug from Tasmania

An Australian 49 pelt platypus skin rug. 132 x 155 cm. This rug was acquired by the vendor from John Bovill, now deceased, in 1997. The rug had been in Mr Bovill's family, residents of Tasmania, since the pelts were collected in the late 19th and early…

A platypus skin rug, circa 1900, 170 x 125 cm

Platypus Skin Rug, 1900

A platypus skin rug, circa 1900, 170 x 125 cm

Taxidermied Platypus, early 20th century. With facsimile hand…

Antique Platypus Taxidermy, 1912

Taxidermied Platypus, early 20th century. With facsimile hand written note 'To the grandchild who should be intrusted. This was stuffed & mounted by your Great Grandfather Carmelo Mastorana. Year about 1912 (or there about) Australian Platypus or…

An early Australian platypus rug of 56 pelts, the animals taken…

Antique Platypus Rug from Northern NSW, circa 1900

An early Australian platypus rug of 56 pelts, the animals taken from the Namoi River at Manilla, Northern New South Wales, circa 1900, overall 183 x 162 cm, the pelts backed on brown felt

Taxidermied Platypus: Late 19th century to Early 20th century…

Rare Taxidermied Platypus on Kauri Pine Base

Taxidermied Platypus: Late 19th century to Early 20th century mounted on kauri pine & papier mache base. Platypus length 54 cm. Rare

An early Australian platypus rug, 19th century, 32 pelts, 125…

Antique Platypus Rug, 19th Century

An early Australian platypus rug, 19th century, 32 pelts, 125 cm x 95 cm pelts, 134 cm x 104 cm felt

Two platypus Skins

Pair of Platypus Pelts

Two platypus Skins