The
platypus was carved from Polyphant stone (aslo
known as Cornish Greenstone). Polyphant is basically
greenish-grey
in colour,
but it
also can be flecked
with a variety of other
unpredictable colours.
Weight 22.25kgs 49lb
Polyphant stone is a type of Elvan, a name used in
Cornwall and Devon for native varieties of
quartz-porphyry. Greenstone is another name
for this stone and it is often used for parts of
buildings such as doorways so they can be finely
carved. Most of the Elvan quarries are now
disused.
Around 400 prehistoric
stone axes, made from greenstone, have been
found all over Britain, which from
petrological analysis appear to come from west
Cornwall. Although the quarry has not
been identified, it has been suggested that
the Gear, a rock now submerged half a mile
from the shore at Penzance, may be the site.
The
name Polyphant means 'Frog Pool' in Cornish.
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