An unusual papier-mâché replica of a fossil (?) from the Free Church of Scotland College collection

A puzzling item of hollow painted papier-m�ch�, apparently a replica of a fossil and purportedly made about 1837, was acquired by the then Royal Scottish Museum in 1966 from the Free Church of Scotland College, Edinburgh, presumably from the latter�s natural sciences teaching collection. It resembles a fossil reptile vertebra or chunk of plant root, but the original specimen and identification remain unknown. The replica does not appear to be a cast from a mould. The inherent limitations and potentials of the technique used, apparently combining three-dimensional modelling and accentuated paintwork, raise the possibility that it was made for Professor John Fleming by his wife Melville Christie as a teaching aid for his lectures at King�s College, Aberdeen, or the Free Church College. The use of papier-m�ch� and paper to make replicas of fossils is briefly discussed.