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Platypus skin rug
Made in New South Wales, Australia, 1880-1930.Summary
Object No.
2004/71/1Object Statement
Rug, platypus, skin/ felt, New South Wales, Australia, 1880-1930Physical Description
Rectangular rug made from approximately eighty platypus skins. The rug is edged with a band of possum skins and backed with fawn felt. The felt has a pinked edge. The platypus skin has been cut to form a diamond pattern and the dark back fur and gold belly fur arranged to form a complex diamond pattern.Short URL
https://ma.as/343335Dimensions
Width
1720 mmProduction
Made
New South Wales, Australia 1880-1930Notes
The skins were collected by Charles Bulwinkel in the 1880s and 1890s from Duck Creek and Emigrant Creek which flowed through his property and which are tributaries of the Richmond River in northern New South Wales. On Bulwinkel's death in 1918, the skins passed to his daughter Mrs Greta Denison who had them stitched into a rug. It is not clear if the possum skin edge dates from this period or was added later. The skins were professionally tanned and sewn together.History
Used
Bulwinkel, Charles New South Wales, Australia 1880-1930Notes
The skins were collected by Charles Bulwinkel in to 1880s and 1890s from Duck Creek and Emigrant Creek which flowed through his property and which are tributaries of the Richmond River in northern New South Wales. Charles Bulwinkel was one of the early settlers on the north coast. He originally went there to set up the sugar mill at Harwood on the Clarence River and eventually took up land at Alstonville which he called 'Fountaindale'. This land was later sold to Norco Co-op for their factory at Alstonville.On his death in 1918 the skins passed to his daugther Mrs Greta Denison who in the 1920s or 1930s had them sewn into a rug for her home 'Boomerang' in East Ballina. Mrs Denison never used the rug and on her death it passed to Mr AW (Fred) Holland. It is thought that Mr Holland put it into the auction sale.
Source
Credit Line
Purchased 2004Acquisition Date
22 April 2004Cite this Object
Harvard
Platypus skin rug 2017, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 20 February 2020, <https://ma.as/343335>Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/343335 |title=Platypus skin rug |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=20 February 2020 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}
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