Large Spider Vintage Paperweight

Sadly, this spider came without a confirmation of its species, but I believe it to be a Golden Silk Orb Weaver otherwise known as a Nephila.

This huge spider specimen reaches almost the whole length of the resin block which measures 13.5cm x 10.5cm x 3cm.

After a little research it appears that this is a female as the male only grows to 1/50^th of the size of the female.

A surprising fact is that a cape has been made from the golden silk from these spiders and was on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2012. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila#/media/File:Spider_silk_cape.jpg

The block is in good vintage condition with no chips or cracks and just a few light scratches to the resin where it has probably been placed down.

A great way to desensitise yourself if you suffer from arachnophobia, although you may wish to work your way up!