Code: 2734
Description: A large fawn chert pointed handaxe of flattened form but with a thickened butt. The handaxe with a dull mottled brown patina, some patchy iron staining and some cortex remaining on one side, otherwise condition good and a nice example of this iconic Palaeolithic tool. Found Compeigne Region, Oise, France.
Size: 178 mm/7 ins. in length
Culture: French Palaeolithic
Date: c. 300,000 years B.P.
Provenance: Ex F.S. Clark Collection, Woking, Surrey.
Background: Fred Sydney Clark (1923-2016) ran the Old Curiosity Shoppe, The Quadrant, Onslow Street, Guildford, Surrey, in the 1970’s-1980’s selling a range of collectables. A passionate collector and field-walker, he built up a fine collection of antiquities, notable for British prehistoric items, a significant number of which he obtained through trade with Dr. H.A. Fawcett. Like Fawcett, he was meticulous in documenting his collection, even the most humble tools were catalogued and fully labelled with locality, accession number and his characteristic monogram.
