Lot Essay
George Cooper is recorded in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks in 1759. This tea caddy is one of many examples of souvenirs made from the mulberry tree which grew in William Shakespeare's garden at New Place, Stratford-upon-Avon. The tree was felled in 1756 by then owner, the Rev. Francis Gastrell, and sold to local woodworkers. Another mulberry wood tea caddy by Cooper commemorating Shakespeare, also signed and dated 1759, was sold from the Prescott Collection, Christie's, New York, 31 January 1981, lot 74 and is now at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.